Liberate
by Jealous Rage
Summary: After being saved by Sesshomaru, Kagome forms a type of bond with the demon lord. After Inuyasha betrays her for the one she least expected, she turns to Sesshomaru for help, and the two begin a relationship that neither could have envisioned.
1. Confusing Encounters

**Confusing Encounters**

* * *

As much as Kagome loved her friends, she occasionally felt the need to put a little distance between herself and them. It gave her a chance to think through a lot of different things without any distractions. As she walked alone, along the tangled path that led farther into the forest, Kagome silently pondered her life up to that point.

When she was fifteen years old, she had fallen into an old well, which was located right beside her house. Once inside, she had been drawn into an unbelievable adventure in Feudal Japan. She had joined forces with the half-demon Inuyasha, the orphaned fox demon Shippo, the demon slayer Sango, the demon cat Kilala, and the monk Miroku. Together, the group had been searching and battling for the shards of the sacred Shikon jewel, which Kagome had unintentionally shattered soon after arriving in the past. They were constantly forced to battle with the notorious demon, Naraku, over the shards. For over two years, Kagome had been wandering through Feudal Japan, searching for jewel shards.

As her thoughts drifted away from her journey, they turned instead to Inuyasha. Kagome knew that she loved the half-demon. Unfortunately, while he obviously cared for her as well, he very rarely indicated his feelings amounted to anything more than friendship.

Kagome's expression quickly turned to one of confusion as she thought about the half-demon's recent actions. In the past few weeks, she'd noticed Inuyasha growing increasingly distant from her. Before, she would have blamed it on Kikyo, but the resurrected priestess had been killed by Naraku about six months previously. With Kikyo no longer in the picture, Kagome was completely clueless as to the cause of Inuyasha's strange behaviour.

As she meandered along, pondering her relationship, Kagome suddenly became aware of the fact she had unintentionally ventured quite a distance away from her friends. The group had hunkered down in a small clearing to rest for the night. Her friends were all aware of Kagome's occasional need for solitude, so none of them had said a word when she left the camp. They trusted she was smart enough to keep track of where she walked, and would be able to find her way back. Unfortunately, she had been completely engrossed in her thoughts and hadn't kept a close watch on her own path. Now she was far away from her friends, had no idea where she was, and was weaponless, having left her bow back at the campsite.

Looking around nervously for a moment, Kagome relaxed slightly when she was unable to sense any demons in the immediate vicinity. Her relief was short-lived, however, when the cracking of a branch directly behind her indicated she was not as alone as she might have wished.

Without a backward glance, Kagome took off running, moving rapidly down the path, and carrying herself even farther away from her friends. The path was well-worn and clear of any debris, so she only had to duck and dodge around a few low-hanging branches.

After running flat out for five minutes and hearing no new noises, Kagome reached a spot in the path where it was intersected by another path. She paused to catch her breath, doubled-over and gasping.

Another loud sound caused her to whirl around in fear and stare, wide-eyed, in the direction she had just come from. She narrowed her eyes, squinted, in an attempt to see into the darkness. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust properly, but once they did, she began to spot various shapes within the trees.

In almost no time, she picked out the outline of a large demon, one that was quickly making its way towards her. Kagome froze up with fear, hoping it would fail to see her if she remained completely still. As the creature drew closer to her, Kagome began to see some specifics about its form.

It was a bear demon, a large one. Standing at least seven feet, it was covered in a thick coat of matted brown fur and its enormous fangs were bared in a vicious snarl. As it came nearer, Kagome tensed up, preparing to fight, even though she knew she wouldn't last two seconds against the powerful demon. She was immensely surprised, however, when it came to a halt and regarded her closely through its eerily glowing red eyes.

"Human," it said suddenly, its unbelievably deep voice rumbling through the still air, "you should not have left the half-demon. Regardless of his human weakness, he could have provided at least some protection for you." Kagome looked on with growing fear as it took a step forward. "Alone as you are now, I will kill you with ease. That should anger Inuyasha enough to come to me. Although, considering what is occurring even now, he might not be all that angry after all."

Kagome's expression quickly changed from amazement at the demon's intention to draw out Inuyasha, to confusion as she thought about what it was saying.

_What does it mean Inuyasha wouldn't be that angry if I was killed?_

Her musings were cut short then, as the bear suddenly charged at her with a speed and grace that belied its large and awkward-looking form.

Closing her eyes, Kagome steeled herself for the coming impact. She fully expected to be sent careening through the air in a matter of seconds. To her amazement, however, the collision never occurred. Instead, she felt an immense power suddenly flare up directly behind her. Since her eyes were still be held firmly shut, she didn't see the bear's charge come to an abrupt halt as it immediately froze upon sensing the power.

Waiting for a moment, Kagome nervously opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of the bear demon slowly backing away from her, its eyes widened in fright. Kagome looked at it in confusion, before apprehensively turning to see what was behind her that could scare the bear in such a way. Her own eyes widened when she saw what it was.

Sesshomaru stood very close behind her, no more than four feet away. He was staring at the bear with no emotion on his face, but Kagome could see annoyance clearly in his golden eyes. As her eyes remained locked on the demon, she heard a low growl sound from him. Whirling around, she was pleased to see the bear cringe in fear.

"What are you doing here, priestess?" The voice was cold and it sounded like he couldn't care less about any answer.

Kagome was quick to provide one anyway. "I wandered away from my friends and lost track of where I was going. Then this thing came at me, saying something about killing me to draw out Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru did not react visibly to this statement. Instead, he directed his attention back to the bear. "What do you want with the half-breed?"

The bear gulped nervously before responding to the Demon Lord's question. "I was merely going to destroy him. I was hired by Naraku to eliminate the half-breed. He's supposed to give me a shard of the Shikon Jewel in return. I have been following the group for two weeks now, waiting for an opportune time to attack Inuyasha, but he has never been completely alone. I decided to kill the girl instead, to draw him out. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be as attached to her anymore. I believe that you know why."

Kagome turned in time to see Sesshomaru's curt nod. Before she could voice her question about what they were talking about, however, Sesshomaru suddenly sprang at the still-cowering bear. His poisonous claws made short work of the weaker creature. As soon is the bear's agonized scream died away, he began to walk down the path, back the way Kagome had originally come from. She watched him for a moment, until he suddenly paused in his stride and turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Are you coming," he inquired, "or would you rather remain here, alone?" It really wasn't a difficult choice to make. Kagome quickly moved beside him and they continued on their way, back toward the camp.

As they walked, Kagome attempted to get some information from the Demon Lord. "Why did you save me back there?"

Kagome was surprised when the demon actually answered her question. "If I had not, Inuyasha would have come looking for me. My scent is clearly evident around here. He would constantly badger me about not saving you. Frankly, I have things to do and I am not fond enough of my brother to desire his company at any time." Once this was said, Sesshomaru surprised Kagome once again by stopping and looking at her. He stared at her silently for a moment.

Under the demon's intense scrutiny, she began to blush slightly.

_He's very handsome, _she thought,_ with the hair, and the eyes. _

Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when he began to speak again. "I will only warn you once, priestess. Nobody within a week's march of this area is very fond of Inuyasha. These lands belong to me, and they know that he is my brother. To demons, pure blood is everything. In this case, being of royal blood, it is even more important. They know that Inuyasha is a half-breed. Therefore, it is like he is an insult to the royal blood that runs in our veins. As such, they will pass up no opportunity to destroy him and those he travels with. I will advise you to remain with your companions at all times." After the little speech, Sesshomaru fell silent and continued to stare at Kagome.

She pondered this information for a moment, then said the first thing that came to mind. "Why do you care?"

"I will not have my idiotic half-brother start slaughtering the inhabitants of my lands over the death of one of his friends." Suddenly, Sesshomaru's eyes darted to Kagome's left. She noticed this and turned herself to see what had caught his attention. Unfortunately for her, she was not able to see anything other than the vague outlines of the trees in the dark.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked. The only response she got to this question was Sesshomaru's large, clawed hand being pressed across her mouth. Kagome's eyes widened in fear and she began to struggle before she realized that he was only attempting to stifle her talking. She immediately stopped moving and after a minute, he turned his gaze back to her, removing his hand as he did so.

Kagome stood in silence for another minute, until she became aware of the fact that as she had been struggling against Sesshomaru's grasp, she had unintentionally moved very close to him. Blushing again, she took a step backwards and looked up at him. To her surprise, something akin to amusement was dancing in Sesshomaru's golden eyes. Before she could comment on this, however, he quickly turned and began walking once again.

Kagome quickly moved to walk beside him once again. "What did you sense back there?" Sesshomaru didn't answer the question. Instead, he looked at her for a second. Kagome saw another emotion in his eyes, but she could not immediately place it. When she finally did, she felt confused.

It was pity. Pity was the emotion in his eyes. Before she could phrase a question about that, she became aware that they were now getting quite close to her campsite.

Just before they reached it, Sesshomaru paused once again. "Human, do not mention that I was here. It would probably incite the half-breed to try some foolish attempt on my life. Remember my warning. Next time, I might not be around to aid you, and I would like to avoid sending my brother into a blood-thirsty rage." With that, Sesshomaru quickly turned around and made his way back the way that they had come.

Before he completely disappeared, however, he paused and made one last announcement. "One last piece of advice, human: if Inuyasha decides to go off by himself for a few hours, do not attempt to follow him. It is for your own good." Then he was gone, leaving Kagome to ponder his cryptic message as she walked the last few hundred feet to the campsite.

She immediately sensed Inuyasha was not there, but Sango was sitting with her back to a tree, looking lost in thought. Kagome was about to go tell Sango about her encounter with Sesshomaru, but something told her that would not be a good idea. Instead, Kagome simply unrolled her sleeping bag and stretched out, ready to sleep the rest of the night away.

The night was not nearly as restful as Kagome had hoped. Her sleep was plagued by confusing dreams and jumbled visions. A tall, silver haired demon dressed all in white; another silver haired demon, in red, fighting each other. Then a confusing flash of Inuyasha, locked in a passionate embrace with a woman. It wasn't Kikyo, but just as Kagome was about to get a look at the woman's face, she awoke in a cold sweat. She was left with the rest of the night to ponder her strange dreams, and think once again about Sesshomaru's strange behavior and the pity in his eyes as he gazed at her.


	2. Unfortunate Tidings

**Liberate**

**Unfortunate Tidings**

As soon as the sun started rising, Kagome started preparing breakfast for her companions. Miroku was still sleeping, Sango was leaning agaist a tree, and Shippo was playing around with Kilala. The monk, Miroku, was the first to rise.

Smelling food, he got up and made his way over to Kagome with a cheery greeting. "Good morning, Kagome. Did you sleep well?" Kagome, however, chose to ignore the question, so Miroku merely shrugged and began eating.

Soon after that, Shippo decided to come over. The little fox demon quickly nabbed some food, then went back to playing with Kilala. Kagome smiled as she watched him play. Then, her thoughts were interrupted as Sango finally came to eat.

When Sango sat down, Miroku looked at her strangely for a moment, before he rose and began to pack away his possessions. Kagome noticed the look on his face, but before she could say anything, she suddenly realized that somebody was missing. She turned to Sango and asked about Inuyasha.

"Have you seen Inuyasha this morning, Sango?" Sango started when Kagome addressed her, but she quickly regained her composure. She smiled and answered the question.

"Last night, after you returned and fell asleep, Inuyasha came and said he would be gone for a few hours. He took off, travelling east. He'll probably be back soon." Kagome nodded her understanding, and quickly rose to her feet. She was already making her way eastwards, towards the trees, when a voice caused her to halt.

It was Sesshomaru's voice, warning her not to follow Inuyasha if he left. She stood still for a moment, pondering on whether or not to heed the demon lord, and she finally decided that if Sesshomaru felt the need to warn her, it must be for a good reason.

Meanwhile, Sango had noticed her friend's indecision. Rising, Sango walked past Kagome, into the trees, calling back as she went. "Don't worry. I'll find him." Kagome was left watching the demon slayer's form recede into the distance.

Sighing, Kagome turned around and headed back to pack up her own possessions. As she walked, she noted that Shippo and Kilala had disappeared. She wasn't worried because she figured that the two had simply wandered off, caught up in their play. She also noticed that Miroku was resting against a tree, his eyes studying the surrounding scenery.

Finally, Kagome reached the area where her possessions lay. Bnding down, she began to gather up her sleeping, when a vicious screech caused her to straight up. It had sounded from directly behind her.

Whirling around, Kagome immediately knew what had emitted the horrible sound. It was some type of large bird demon. It had large, feathery wings, folded up near it's back. It's face was a horrible combination of a man's features and a large, curved beak. That beak was currently split into a huge grin.

Kagome froze up in fear, but her companion didn't. As soon as Miroku saw the demon, he sprang into action. Brandishing his staff, the monk charged at the creature, yelling loudly. Unfortunately for Miroku, the bird was prepared for this.

As the monk drew near, the demon simply spread it's wings, catching the monk a hard blow and sending him crashing into a tree. The impact knocked Miroku unconscious. This left Kagome to deal with the demon by herself.

The bird demon appeared to realize this as well, as it's grin grew even wider. Then, it addressed her directly. "Where is the half demon?" Kagome shuddered at the sound of it's screeching voice, but she forced herself to answer.

"He's not here right now. I don't know where he went." This seemed to anger the bird. But soon it's anger disappeared and a cunning look appeared in it's eyes as it peered at Kagome. She quickly wondered what it was thinking, but she didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Perhaps if the half demon smells your blood, he will return faster." With this said, the bird suddenly leapt straight at Kagome, it huge wings unfolded, and it's talon-like claws grasping for her.

With a cry of horror, Kagome shut her eyes and threw her body to the left, hoping to avoid the creature. She realized too late that she had thrown herself, headfirst, at a tree. Bracing herself for the harsh collision she was about to experience, Kagome was immensely surprised when, instead of encountering the hard tree bark, she collided with something softer, bounced off, and landed on her knees, on the ground.

Opening her eyes slowly, Kagome was greeted by the sight of white clothed legs. Slowly raising her eyes, she met the golden eyed gaze of Sesshomaru, who was looking down at her with amusement in his eyes.

"I warned you to be careful, human." This statement caused a flash of anger to overtake Kagome.

"You stupid bastard! It's not my fault that I'm alone. Inuyasha took off and Sango went to find him. Shippo and Kilala wandered off while playing, and this thing," she indicated the bird demon,"knocked Miroku out cold. What was I supposed to do?" Sesshomaru ignored the angry girl in front of him, and instead turned his attention to the bird demon.

The demon was currently on it's knees, it's head bowed. Kagome looked at it questioningly for a moment, before she remembered whose company she was in. The demon was bowing to Sesshomaru.

Approaching the kneeling creature, Sesshomaru commanded it to rise. It did so, looking at the demon lord with fear in it's eyes. When Sesshomaru made no threatening moves towards it, the bird relaxed visibly, relief obvious on it's face. This relief was shortlived as the demon lord calmly reached out and tore off one of the demon's arms.

The creature immediately screamed in agony, but was silenced as it was suddenly grasped around the throat by Sesshomaru. "Listen closely. You will spread this message throughout my lands. Any who touch the beings who travel with my brother will die by my hand, no exceptions." With that, he dropped the bird demon to the ground.

As soon as it was released, the injured demon immediately took to the air and flew off, presumably to follow Sesshomaru's order. Sesshomaru turned and started to leave the clearing, but he was halted by the touch off a small hand on his arm.

"Remove your hand from me unless you wish to lose it." Kagome hastily withdrew her hand from the demon lord, and instead posed a question.

"Why are you here? You said last night that next time, you wouldn't save me." Sesshomaru turned to face her at this.  
"I didn't come to save you. I was merely coming here to make sure Inuyasha left no trace of his passing behind. You were simply lucky that I arrived when I did." Sesshomaru's explanation was halted suddenly when a loud crack was heard. Kagome whirled around to see what made the noise, but she was relieved to see that it was only Miroku. He had stepped on a broken branch while attempting to rise into a standing position.

As soon as the monk stood, he saw the tall demon lord standing behind Kagome. Swiftly making his way over to them, he bowed swiftly to the demon.

"Lord Sesshomaru. I assume you are here to make sure Inuyasha could not be detected by the demon's of the land." Sesshomaru nodded. Miroku saw this, and decided to continue before Inuyasha returned.

"I would like to thank you for taking care of the demon for us. I have no doubt that it was about to do Kagome saw irreversible damage. But now I believe that it would be best if you left. Just in case Inuyasha returns." Miroku was halted by the sudden smirk that appeared on Sesshomaru's face.

Both Kagome and Miroku were surprised by the expression on the demon lord's face. Neither of them had ever seen him display anything but anger on his face. Before either could ask what had brought about this change, Sesshomaru spoke.

"I do not believe that the half breed will return for some time. He is otherwise occupied." This explanation puzzled Kagome and she asked Sesshomaru to clarify. In answer to her, the demon lord turned his attention to Miroku.

"I believe that recently you have been having some relationship problems with the demon slayer. I would like to give you a piece of advice. Do not attempt to reconcile with her. It is pointless. She has already chosen another." Miroku's eyes widened at this, and Kagome looked from Miroku to Sesshomaru in shock.

_Since when has Sesshomaru took an interest in people's love life. Wait a minute, did he just say she has found some one new? Why hasn't she told me? _As Kagome's brain was busy processing these new developments, she didn't notice that Sesshomaru and Miroku had moved away from her.

"Who is it that she is with?" Miroku posed this question to Sesshomaru, who merely looked at the monk as if he were stupid. Then, the demon lord sent his gaze back towards Kagome, with a look of sadness in his eyes. Miroku immediately realized what the demon lord was trying to say.

Miroku's eyes widened in horror at this. "Inuyasha," he breathed quietly. Sesshomaru nodded, then his expression altered once more, this time into an angry scowl.

"It is not proper. He and the girl clearly have feelings for each other, yet now he goes and forms relationship with her closest friend. It is disgraceful and dishonourable." Miroku nodded his agreement. Sesshomaru turned his gaze back to the monk, his emotionless mask back in place.

"Although I do not know the reason, I feel the need to spare the girl from the truth. I will do all in my power to ensure that she remains oblivious to the disgrace that the half breed is committing. Am I right in assuming you feel the same way."

Miroku nodded once again, his own thoughts on Sango, and how she could betray him with Inuyasha. "It will be difficult. Inuyasha will undoubtedly wish to continue on the quest for the shards, and I wish to destroy Naraku. It is the only way to get rid of this cursed wind tunnel. It will be very hard to keep this from her." Sesshomaru gave a curt nod of agreement.

"I believe that I will follow you're group. That way, I can ensure that nothing happens to anyone in your group, as well as being led to Naraku." Miroku indicated his approval of the plan, but further talk was halted when Kagome suddenly realized that she was alone and turned to approach the monk and the demon lord.

"What are you two doing over here?" When neither man answered her, Kagome's expression grew puzzled. But before she could say anything, Sesshomaru turned and started to leave. Just before he completely disappeared, he turned and spoke.

"A warning monk. Be careful to avoid touching the demon slayer. Jealousy is a powerful emotion. And a piece of advice, girl. Try to avoid bloodthirsty demons. You seem to attract them. That is not a healthy habit. You should try to break it." Then, he was gone.

Kagome looked at Miroku questioningly. He merely shrugged. Kagome sighed, then turned to walk back to where she had dropped her sleeping bag. As she bent once more to retrieve her things, Miroku finally spoke.

"Please don't mention this to Inuyasha or Sango. It would just anger Inuyasha. And about Sango. Do not question her about her new relationship. She'll tell us when she is ready." Kagome nodded, then returned to picking up her things. She didn't even notice the uncharacteristic look of sadness on Miroku's face as he watched her.

All the monk could think about was how hurt Kagome would be if she found out the truth. That the only man she had ever loved was, even now, cheating on her with her closest friend, a woman she looked on as a sister. Then, Miroku sighed and began to pack up his own possessions, ignoring the sadness in his heart, created by the betrayal of Sango.

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Thanks to the people who reviewed my first chapter. This one is about the same length, but I hope to make some longer. Anyway, please read and review.

Thank You!


	3. Discovering the Truth

**Liberate**

**Discovering the Truth**

Finally, about two hours after the departure of Sesshomaru, Inuyasha arrived back at the camp. Kagome first noticed him when she happened to glance up and see his red clothed form perched on a tree branch over her head.

A crackling of branches announced the arrival of Sango. Kagome withdrew her gaze from Inuyasha in order to look at the demon slayer. When Sango noticed Kagome looking at her, she smiled. "I told you I'd bring him back." Kagome smiled back.

Miroku chose that moment to return from the stream where he had gone to wash. As soon as he saw Sango, he shot her a glare filled with betrayal and anger. She was taken aback for a moment and quickly averted her eyes. When she looked back, his face had reverted to his normal expression. Sango figured that she had simply imagined his previous look.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, had begun to sniff the air, looking around in every direction. Suddenly, he leapt out of the tree, landing directly in front of Kagome. "Did something happen here, Kagome? I can smell blood." Kagome emphatically shook her head.

"Nope, nothing happened. Maybe some animal died here or something." Her explanation seemed to satisfy the hal demon, because he simply shrugged and leapt back into the tree. Kagome went to help Sango pack up her things.  
At that moment, Kilala and Shippo returned from the forest. Shippo immediately went to Inuyasha. "Someone is out there, watching us." The young fox demon indicated the trees. Inuyasha scoffed at this.

"I doubt that, idiot. I would've smelled anything that was close." Shippo, however, remained unconvinced.

"I saw someone. Just a flash of white, just for a second. I swear, someone is watching us. Someone powerful." Inuyasha just snorted.

"Feh, that's ridiculous. If anyone was here, I'd know." Shippo, becoming indignant, whirled around and returned to Kilala's side, muttering under his breath about stupid half breeds. Neither the fox demon or the half demon caught the look that passed between Miroku and Kagome.

They both knew that it was Sesshomaru who was watching them. Miroku almost smirked as he thought about what Inuyasha would do if he found out that his brother was so close. Then, everyone was ready and it was time to go.

They all walked along, making good progress, for hours. They stopped briefly for a quick lunch before continuing on again. Throughout the entire day, Kagome was aware of the fact that Sesshomaru was not far behind them. She couldn't sense him, but she was certain that he was there. For some reason, this comforted her. Even though she barely knew the demon lord, and he had always seemed evil, she felt that he was a man of honour. Besides, he had saved her twice already.

Walking along, Inuyasha noticed that Kagome was deep in thought. He looked at her silently for a moment, reflecting on his new relationship with Sango. He really didn't want to hurt Kagome, but things had just happened. It's not like he went looking for it. But now, he was conflicted; he had his feelings for Kagome, but he also had new feelings for Sango. Sighing, the half demon turned his attention back to the path and continued walking.

Finally, after hours of walking, the group reached another clearing. They decided to camp there for the night. Kagome unpacked the food as Miroku bilt up a fire. When Kagome looked up, she noticed that Inuyasha had departed. Sighing, she looked around for Sango through the rapidly falling darkness. The demon slayer was resting against a tree.

Just as Kagome was about to approach her friend, Sango suddenly rose to her feet. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a few hours." Kagome nodded at her and the demon slayer set off throug the trees.

Miroku watched Sango go with an expression of disgust on his face. He turned to Kagome and the two sat down and began to eat, along with Shippo and Kilala. Eventually, the fox demon and the cat demon grew uncomfortable from the silence and wandered off to explore the surroundings.

After eating, Miroku got up to gather firewood, and when he returned, Kagome had gone. He was afraid for a moment before remembering that Sesshomaru was near. Shrugging to himself, the monk sat himself by the fire and relaxed, thinking deep thoughts.

Meanwhile, Kagome was walking through the trees aimlessly, staring at her surroundings. As she looked around, she suddenly became aware of the fact that she was not alone. However, she did not feel afraid and she continued her walk.

As she walked along, not watching where she was going, Kagome suddenly stumbled over a stone and began to fall. She braced herself for the fall, but was surprised when instead of falling, she felt a strong arm grasp her own and pull her back to her feet.

Turning quickly, she saw that it was Sesshomaru and nodded her thanks. Then, her face split into a smile. "You know, I can take care of myself." Sesshomaru looked at her silently for a moment before responding.

"In that case, I'll be taking my leave then." With that, he turned and started to walk away. Kagome suddenly became aware of the fact that she was alone, at night, in an unfamiliar forest. Hurrying forward, she fell into stride beside Sesshomaru. The demon looked at her silently before returning his gaze to back in front of him.

They walked in silence for several moments, before Kagome's curiosity got the better of her and she began to ply Sesshomaru with questions. Surprisingly, he answered each one.

"How old are you?"

"Over four hundred years old."

"What do those markings on your face mean?"

"They are proof that I am ruler of the Western lands."

This continued for a while, with Kagome asking questions, and the demon lord answering them with as few words as possible. Kagome was surprised that the normally silent demon was actually talking to her. However, there small talk was interrupted when Sesshomaru suddenly halted, dragging Kagome to a stop with him.

Kagome looked at the demon with surprise in her eyes, but he was looking the other way. "We will walk this way now." After declaring this, Sesshomaru turned and started walking the other way. He quickly realized that Kagome was not following him. He turned to see that she had started off in the direction that they had previously been walking.

Sesshomaru moved to stop her, but the trees impeded him slightly, and he wasn't quick enough to stop her. All he could do was wait silently for the scene he could sense was about to take place.

Kagome had continued forward, curious as to why Sesshomaru had turned them from this direction. She walked forward for a few hundred feet, and instantly knew what Sesshomaru had been trying to prevent.

Laying on the ground, in a small clearing, embracing each other passionately, were Inuyasha and Sango. Fortunately for Kagome, they were both still clothed. As she stood there, silently watching them, Sesshomaru's warning made sudden, horrible sense to her.

Unbidden, a scream of rage issued forth from her throat. This terrible sound jolted the couple on the ground, causing them to break apart. Inuyasha looked around wildly, immediately spotting Kagome. His expression was priceless as he looked at the woman who loved him.

Suddenly, Kagome whirled and took off through the trees, running wildly. She looked around, but Sesshomaru had vanished and she didn't feel like waiting around for him. Instead, she focussed on finding her way back to the campsite. She could here Inuyasha coming up from behind her, but she paid no attention and continued running.

Eventually, Kagome made it back to the camp, and threw herself on the first thing that moved. This happened to be Miroku. He looked at the sobbing girl quietly for a moment, then realized what had happened. Shaking his head sadly, the monk stroked her hair gently and waited for the tears to stop.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha chose that moment to return, carrying Sango on his back. As soon as Miroku saw them, he gently moved Kagome to the side and stood up, making his way towards the two new arrivals.

Inuyasha looked at the approaching monk, then suddenly spoke. "You already knew about this, didn't you."

"Yes. Someone took the time to inform me about this. He seemed to think that you were a disgrace, and then he warned me to stay away from Sango." Sango flinched at the way Miroku said her name, with hatred.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, pondered what Miroku had just told him. However, the slightly slow half demon was unable to recognize the words his older brother had spoken to the monk.

While Inuyasha was thinking, Miroku turned to Sango. "How could you. You have betrayed me and the closest thing you have to family, all in the same instant. You must feel really good about yourself." Sango flinched once again, but said nothing.

Inuyasha, however, was getting angry at the monk for addressing his woman so roughly. He growled warningly, but when the monk didn't back down, Inuyasha took the next step.

In a flash, he had hurled himself upon Miroku and the two began to fight. Sango watched helplessly, but the commotion drew Kagome's attention. Standing suddenly, she ran to the two brawling men and attempted to physically pry them apart.

Her small hands did little to separate the two, but she was able to channel some miko energy through her hands, It wasn't much, but it was enough to burn Inuyasha. The half demon jerked his arm, sending Kagome flying backwards.

Inuyasha suddenly rose to his feet, the monk unconscious on the ground. Now, Inuyasha ad only one thing in his rage filled mind. Destroying the creature that had burned him. Slowly, he walked towards Kagome's slowly rising form.

When he reached her, he drew back his arm as though to strike her. Unfortunately for the half demon, he waited an instant to long. If he would have been paying better attention to his surroundings, he would have felt the sudden appearance of an immense power. He would have felt when that same power suddenly rocketed forward.

He did, however, feel when the being with that power suddenly wrapped a clawed hand around his arm, effectively halting the blow aimed at Kagome. Inuyasha turned around, only to come face to face with the last person he wanted to see.

Inuyasha was not forced to the think about it for long, because the hand that had been wrapped around his arm suddenly curled into a fist and collided, with force, against the side of his head. The last words Inuyasha said before the darkness claimed him was, "I'll kill you, Sesshomaru."

After laying out his brother, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome. "Are you injured, human?" When Kagome indicated that she wasn't, Sesshomaru nodded and turned to Miroku. Reaching down, he lifted the monk up by the back of his robes, hauling him to his feet. This seemed to awaken the monk, because he groaned. Sesshomaru waited a minute, then let go, trusting that Miroku would be able to stand under his own power.

Meanwhile, Sango had watched in horror as Inuyasha knocked out Miroku, than moved to strike Kagome. She had been about to interfere when Sesshomaru had arrived. He had been no more than a blur, racing towards Inuyasha, then knocking the half demon unconscious with a single blow. Now, she stood perfectly still as the demon lord approached her.

Sesshomaru looked down at the female in front of him in disdain. "Tend to your half demon. I didn't hit him very hard, but with his little amount of brains, it wouldn't surprise me if he woke up even more stupid than when I put him out." Sango nodded, then quickly moved to Inuyasha's side.

Meanwhile, Kagome was staring at Sesshomaru in shock. She had known that he would help her if some demon attacked her, but she hadn't expected him to interfere with Inuyasha. She was suddenly aware that Sesshomaru had walked back to her.

"I am sorry, human. I attempted to conceal this from you. You should have heeded my order to walk the other way." Kagome nodded, not really hearing. Her thoughts had turned back to Inuyasha, and with that came the pain.

Without warning, Kagome started crying. With no one else near her, the distraught girl threw herself forward, and wrapped her arms around Sesshomaru, crying into his white clothed chest. This startled the demon lord, but after a moment, he hesitantly patted the sobbing girl's back, uncertain of what to do, just knowing that he wanted to comfort the broken girl in his arms.

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Thanks to the people who reviewed my last chapter. For those of you who worry about the relationship between Sesshomaru and Kagome progressing to quickly, I'll say that although it may seem that way, they are really only becoming friends right now. In later chapters, that friendship might become something more. Anyways, please contine to read and review.

Thank You!


	4. New Companions

**Liberate**

**New Companions**

Kagome was shocked when she felt Sesshomaru's hand hesitantly pat her back, but she was too distraught to say anything. As soon as the tears started. she couldn't stop them from falling. At that moment, Miroku finally fully regained consciousness. He looked at the unconscious Inuyasha and grinned slightly. Then, he walked over to Sesshomaru and Kagome.

"Well, I see that your plan to keep the truth from her failed. What will you do now?" As soon as Miroku had begun speaking, Kagome had released Sesshomaru and attempted to halt her tears. She listened with interest to the demon lord's response.

"It is clear that it is not safe to live you two with the half breed. Due to this, I will accompany you on your quest to destroy Naraku." Both Miroku and Kagome gasped at this. Neither had expected the demon lord to volunteer to help them.

Luckily, Miroku regained his composure and bowed to the demon. "We would be honoured to have you with us, Lord Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru nodded his head slightly to acknowledge this.

Kagome, meanwhile, had remained silent since Sesshomaru's surprising announcement. When he had said it, she had suddenly been filled with unexplained feelings of happiness and comfort. Kagome pondered this as she looked at the demon lord. Suddenly, she became aware of the fact that he was watching her as she started at him.

"What are you staring at, human?" The cold question jarred Kagome from her thoughts. Her face formed into a scowl when she thought about what he had said.

"Well, since you'll be travelling with us, you should probably call us by our names. I am Kagome. Not human, girl, female, miko. Kagome. Understand." Sesshomaru stared at her emotionlessly for a moment before giving a curt nod of understanding. Kagome smiled at this.

"Now, how do we address you?" Kagome was unsure of how to properly address the lord. Whenever Inuyasha had spoken of him, he had always been referred to as "that bastard". She didn't believe that it was appropriate to call him that.

"You may call me Sesshomaru. The monk as well. But the other ones, I will not speak to. I am not interested in what they have to say." Kagome nodded. Then, she turned to see Sango still attempting to awaken Inuyasha. The sight of her friend once again brought tears to her eyes. Instead of continuing to watch, she turned back to Sesshomaru, and was startled at the expression on his face.

He was smirking again. Looking at the unconscious form of his brother was actually pleasing to him. Kagome was surprised, but she said nothing. After looking at the demon lord for a few moments, Kagome realized how tired she was. They had been walking all day after all.

Saying goodnight to Sesshomaru and Miroku, she unpacked her sleeping bag, got inside of it, and quickly fell asleep, leaving the monk and the demon lord to speak. Sango was still attending to Inuyasha.

Moving away from them, Sesshomaru beckoned for Miroku to follow him. The monk complied without saying anything. The two made their way to a large tree directly across the clearing from Sango and Inuyasha. When the demon lord remained silent, Miroku took the opportunity to lower himself to the ground. His whole body was sore from his fight with Inuyasha and standing had been becoming uncomfortable.

At that moment, Sesshomaru began speaking. "While I am with your group, you will keep the half breed away from me. I can barely stand being around him for five minutes. If he irritates me, I will destroy him." Miroku nodded his agreement, and waited for Sesshomaru to continue.

"Do you have any allies?" Mitroku looked at him in confusion for a moment.

"Why?"

"Many people, human and demon, are made uncomfortable by my presence. I may scare them off." Miroku indicated his understanding.

"Well, there is Kaede, an old priestess. Also, there are several villages from which we have made friends."Miroku halted. _I'm forgetting somebody. Who?_ Unfortunately, the monk was exhausted and he couldn't remember who it was. He shrugged.

Sesshomaru nodded his understanding and indicated that the monk should go to sleep.Miroku nodded, then rose, unpacked his own sleeping materials, and was soon asleep.

Sesshomaru, meanwhile, remained unmoving, staring silently at his brother and the woman who was attempting to wake him up. After a moment, he spoke.

"It is useless to attempt to wake him. He will sleep till morning." Sango looked at him silently. Then, she spoke.

"Why are you still here?" Sesshomaru had been expecting this.

"I have decided that I will accompany you and your companions while you destroy Naraku." Sango looked worried at this.

"Do not worry, human. I will not attempt to fight the half breed. I will stay near those who actually appreciate my presence. A warning though. If the half breed attempts to injure either Kagome or the monk, I will not hesitate to kill him." Sango nodded slowly, and Sesshomaru turned and left, making his way into the woods, to await the rising of the sun.

Hours later, as the sun started rising, Kagome was awakened by an angry shout. Turning, she saw that Inuyasha had just reacted unfavourably to something Sango had told him.

"What do you mean he will be coming with us?" Sango said something that Kagome couldn't quite make out. But it must have been something else about Sesshomaru, because Inuyasha let out another yell.

"Hah. That stupid bastard thinks he can tell me who I can and can't touch. Screw that, I'll go kick his ass right now." With that, the half demon turned and made as if to take off into the trees, presumably after Sesshomaru. However, his departure was halted by a cold voice.

"Calm yourself, half breed. You will accomplish nothing except getting your own ass kicked if you try something." Inuyasha whirled around and snarled at the sound of his brother's voice. Then, he leapt at him, claws first. However, once again, he was halted.

"SIT!" Kagome screamed this, sending the unsuspecting half demon crashing into the ground. As he slowly pulled himself to his feet, he glared at Kagome, choosing to ignore the slight smirk that had just appeared on Sesshomaru's face. Muttering to himself, he stomped over to sit with Sango.

At that moment, Shippo and Kilala reappeared, after apparently spending the night sleeping in the woods. Shippo took one look at Sesshomaru, and his eyes widened in fright. But, at the reassuring look from Kagome, he didn't say anything. Turning, he was about go get some food, when the cold voice of Sesshomaru interrupted him.

"I assume you enjoy playing with other children." Shippo turned around to stare, before nodding hesitantly. Sesshomaru spoke once again.

"In five minutes, we will be joined by servant of mine. It is a two headed dragon, known as Ah-Un. If you wish, he will accompany you back to my castle. Once there, you will encounter a human female that I have placed under my care. You may stare there as her companion if you wish." Shippo looked surprised, but he nodded once again.

At that moment, the dragon landed in the clearing. Everyone looked at it nervously, but it appeared to not care. Shippo looked at it for a second, then turned to Kagome.

"Goodbye, Kagome. I'll see you all sometime, I guess." After saying this, Shippo leaped up onto Ah-Un's back, and the dragon took off, heading west.

Sesshomaru spoke up suddenly. "We will wait for an hour for Ah-Un to return." Inuyasha scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Why should we listen to you? Last time I checked, I was the leader of this group." Sesshomaru stared at his brother silently for a moment before replying.

"You forfeited that position the moment you chose to assault two of your followers. Also, the leader is generally the most powerful of the group. That is no longer you." Inuyasha turned red in the face at that last comment.

"I suppose you think that everyone is just going to bow down to your commands. Well, guess again, you bastard." Sesshomaru smirked slightly.

"Calm yourself. I never said that I was the leader. Frankly, I couldn't care less who leads this group. I was merely saying that should I ever give an order, I expect it to be followed. Luckily for you, I won't be inclined to speak to you much." Inuyasha was still snarling, but he nodded his understanding.

The hour passed in silence as they waited for the return of Ah-Un. After a while, Kagome finally spoke. "Why do you want the dragon to come with us?" Sesshomaru looked at her in silence before answering.

"The pace I set is quite harsh. You, the monk, and the demon slayer would soon fall behind. However, if the slayer stays with my brother, and the monk rides the cat, that still leaves you. Therefore, with the addition of Ah-Un, there are now enough rides for everybody." Kagome nodded her understanding, and the two fell into silence once again.

However, Kagome was not finished yet. After working up her courage for a few minutes, she addressed the demon lord once again. "Sesshomaru, why did you try to protect me from the truth about Inuyasha and Sango?" For once, the emotionless demon lord was caught off guard. He had not expected her to ask that particular question.

Being a demon lord, he was raised with a strict code of honour. This code forced him to tell the truth, regardless of his personal feelings. With this in mind, he answered the question.

"After saving you the first time, from the bear, I felt an overwhelming urge to protect you from all else. It was apparent what the half breed and the demon slayer had been doing, and I could sense your feelings for the halfbreed. I determined then that I would keep the truth from you. I can't explain it any better than that." Sesshomaru glanced at the girl to see her reaction.

To his surprise, she was smiling. "It's okay. I understand. In that case, I have another question for you. Do you have many friends?" Sesshomaru's face remained stationary as he pondered the question.

"I have many aquaintances. I have many people who I see on a regular basis. I suppose these can be considered friends of a sort. But I assume that you are referring to real friends. People who I talk to as equals, and treat properly. In that case, no, I have no friends." This answer seemed to be expected by Kagome, because she nodded in an understanding way.

"I see. Well then, maybe myself and Miroku could be your friends. I mean, if that is alright with you." Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome silently, then replyed.

"Yes, Kagome. I will be your friend." The two were interrupted from their conversation by the second arrival of Ah-Un.

The creature landed on the ground and approached Sesshomaru, who stared at in silently for a moment before speaking.

"We are leaving." Inuyasha scowled and muttered something, but he complied without too much complaint, allowing Sango to clamber onto his back When Kilala saw this, she immediately transformed and allowed Miroku to climb onto her back. This left Kagome to ride Ah-Un.

She approached it nervously, but when it made no move to hurt her, she gained more confidence and quickly pulled herself up onto it's back. After shifting around for a moment, she indicated that all was good.

Sesshomaru nodded and suddenly turned and sped off. Inuyasha, Kilala, and Ah-Un followed suit, following the demon lord as he nearly flew over the ground.

The group continued on this way until around noon, when they decided to stop for lunch. This clearly annoyed Sesshomaru, but he said nothing, instead choosing to stand in the shadows of a large tree and observe as everyone ate.

After about an hour, in which Miroku and Kagome said absolutely nothing to Sango or Inuyasha, Sesshomaru spoke.

"By evening, we will have come to the end of my lands. After that, we will most likely be approached by unfamiliar demons. Do not attack them unless I say. They may be bringers of messages from my castle." This seemed directed at Inuyasha, so the half demon indicated his understanding.

Sesshomaru spoke once again. "We will continue on at a slower pace. There is no hurry anymore." Everyone gave a sigh of relief. Although Inuyasha was loathe to admit it, even he couldn't keep up with his brother for much longer.

After cleaning up, the set off once again. This time, Inuyasha and Sango, walking side by side, led the way. Kagome followed them, silently thinking, accompanied by Ah-Un and Kilala. At the rear of the party walked Sesshomaru and Miroku, the two silent.

After walking for about two hours, an unexpected situation developed. Kagome's head shot up and her expression grew dark. "There are two jewel shards approaching, very fast."

Inuyasha heard this and quickly took off, heading forward. Sango and Kagome were right on his heels, leaving Sesshomaru and Miroku behind, and Miroku distinctly heard Inuyasha's voice floating back to them. "Mangy wolf."

Miroku suddenly felt worried. He glanced at Sesshomaru and suddenly the name that he had been searching for the previous night came to his mind. Kouga. Miroku was suddenly worried about how the demon lord would react to Kouga's obsession with Kagome. He knew how possessive Sesshomaru was when it came to Rin. Miroku could only hope that the demon lord wouldn't kill the wolf outright.

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Well, that's chapter four. Will Sesshomaru kill Kouga? Will he even care? Read chapter 5 to find out. And don't forget to review.

Thank You!


	5. Stupid Choice

**Liberate**

**Stupid Choice**

Inuyasha, Sango, and Kagome finally came to a stop in a small clearing. They waited in tense silence for about a minute, before Kouga arrived. The whirling tornado that announced his presence blew into the clearing, halting right in front of Kagome, and revealing Kouga.

The wolf prince grinned widely at the sight of Kagome, who could only cringe in anticipation of what he would say. "Hello Kagome. Are you ready to come with me yet?"

Kagome tried to force a smile onto her face. "Sorry, Kouga, but I still have to finish collecting the jewel shards and defeat Naraku." Kouga was about to reply when Inuyasha decided to speak up.

"You heard her, you mangy wolf. Now let go and leave." Kouga whirled around without releasing Kagome's hand.

"Why don't you shut up, dogbreath. I can already tell that you have mated with the demon slayer. You no longer have any say in what Kagome does and doesn't do." Inuyasha's face twisted into an expression of anger, and he tensed to leap at the wolf, but a cold voice interrupted him.  
"What is going on here?" Kouga whirled in the other direction, still grasping Kagome's hand. Kouga's eyes took in the sight of Sesshomaru, standing perfectly still, his face expressionless.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The rude question didn't seem to fade the demon lord, because his body position and facial expression remained the same. Only his eyes moved, traveling from Kouga to Kagome, who was continually trying to pry herself from Kouga's grasp.

Sesshomaru flicked his gaze back at Kouga. "What is going on, Kagome? Do you wish to go with the wolf." Kagome looked at him in surprise.

"No." Kouga looked back at her with hurt in his eyes. All he saw was Kagome's eyes widen and he whirled back around, dropping her hand, just in time to see Sesshomaru suddenly charge at him. Kouga didn't even have time to move before Sesshomaru's clawed hand closed around his throat and lifted him effortlessly from the ground.

Looking down into Sesshomaru's cold, golden eyes, Kouga shuddered involuntarily. "Kagome does not wish to go with you. You will leave or I will kill you." Kagome looked at Sesshomaru with gratitude in her eyes, but before she could say anything, Kouga decided to be brave and spoke up, choking slightly from the hand around his throat.

"Kagome is my woman. I claimed her a long time ago. I love her and I'm bringing her with me when I leave." Sesshomaru was silent for a moment, then glanced down Kagome.

"Do you wish to leave with the wolf?" Kagome emphatically shook her head. Sesshomaru nodded, then returned his gaze to the helpless wolf.

"As you can clearly see, Kagome wishes to remain here. Your claim is refuted. Therefore, you shall leave. If you refuse, you will be killed. That is your only warning." Kouga turned his head slightly to look at Kagome. When he looked at her, his eyes hardened and he quickly looked at Sesshomaru.

"I can tell that she loves me. I will gladly fight for her." Sesshomaru nodded and released his grip on Kouga's neck. As the wolf lay on the ground, massaging his sore throat, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome.

"Do you wish the wolf to remain alive?" The cold question made Kagome pause for a second. Then she looked up at Sesshomaru.

"If he decides to run, let him. But if wants a fight to the death, kill him." Kagome said this in a voice that was just as cold as Sesshomaru's. This startled Inuyasha, Sango, and Kouga, but not Miroku. He could tell that Kagome was fed up with Kouga's repeated claims. Although she didn't want the wolf to die in cold blood, it was obvious that nothing short of death would halt his obsession with her.

Meanwhile, Kouga was looking at Kagome, from the ground, with shock and sadness radiating from his eyes. He was so stricken that he didn't even see the slashing claws. He felt them though, especially when he realized that he was now missing an arm.

Biting back the scream that immediately rose from his throat, the badly injured wolf leapt backwards, awaying from Sesshomaru, snarling loudly. The only thing that Kouga had going for him was that his true strength was in his legs, not his arms.

However, for every good thing, there had to be something bad to even it out. In this case, the bad luck for Kouga was that although he was immensely fast, due to the jewel shards, Sesshomaru was faster.

As Kouga attempted to charge at Sesshomaru, he ground to a halt when the demon lord suddenly disappeared from infront of him. Looking around in puzzlement, he realized what had happened a second too late.

Sesshomaru's sharp claws punctured Kouga's body from behind, completely destroying any hope that the wolf had of winning the fight. With a last burst of strength, Kouga managed to wrench himself from Sesshomaru's claws, but there was little he could do.

However, when the death blow never fell, the surprised demon managed to force himself to stand, and then turned to face Sesshomaru. The demon lord was looking at him with his expressionless eyes.

"I am giving you one last chance. If you choose to leave now, you will keep your life. However, I will take your jewel shards. Also, I will give you this warning. If you ever come near Kagome again, I will kill you on the spot. What is your choice?" The cruel speech belyed a deeper meaning.

Everyone looked at Sesshomaru in shock. Never had anyone ever heard of him letting someone go after having them so close to death. But no one said anything. They all let Kouga think. Unfortunately, the wolf took one look at Kagome and everyone could see what his decision was going to be.

"I'll fight to the death for Kagome. I love her and she will be with ..." Kouga never even got to finish his sentence. As soon as he started talking, Sesshomaru had known exactly what his decision would be. Drawing Tokijin, he calmly unleashed a blast of energy at the still talking wolf, completely disintegrating his body, destroying all but the two jewel shards, which fell, sparkling, to the ground.

All was silent for a moment, before the swish of Tokijin being sheathed broke the silence. At this, Kagome looked at where Kouga's body had been, and breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer had to put up with his ridiculous advances and claims. And now they had two more jewel shards. Kagome said a silent goodbye to Kouga, and then turned and started walking forward.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome started walking and he motioned that they should leave as well. Turning, he and Sango set off, followed by Kilala and Ah-Un. This left Miroku and Sesshomaru standing alone in the clearing.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru turned and started following the others. Miroku quickly moved to walk with him. There was silence for a few minutes, then Sesshomaru spoke.

"Why did you not warn me about the wolf?" Miroku had been expecting this question, and he cringed a bit when it was asked.

"I forgot about him. We hadn't seen him for a long time, and I had hoped that he had given up on Kagome. Unfortunately, I was wrong." Sesshomaru considered this explanation for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

The two resumed walking in silence, but soon his curiosity overcame him and he asked his own question. "Sesshomaru, why did you give Kouga another chance? It is not very typical of the way you fight." Sesshomaru looked at Miroku for a second, then answered.

"It is none of your concern about the way I fight. All that matters is that I can fight. Remember that monk. Do not question my tactics. It is not wise if you wish to live a long life." Miroku gulped, then nodded to indicate his understanding. After that, they walked in silence, following their companions.

After a few more hours of walking, as the sun was starting to set, the finally reached the edge of the forest. Looking out, they gazed upon a wide open plain, covered by tall grass. Kagome looked at it with wonder, because she could not see anything on the other side of it. She looked questioningly at Sesshomaru, hoping he might know something about the expansive area.

Sesshomaru noted Kagome's expression and decided to explain. But first, "We will camp here tonight, within the trees. It is not wise to camp in an open field." Inuyasha nodded his agreement, and Kagome immediately began setting up camp.

After another hour, everyone, excluding Sesshomaru, sat down to eat. Instead of sitting with the rest, Sesshomaru stood at the base of a large tree and gazed at each member of the group. Eventually, Kagome grew tired of being scrutinized and decided to try once again to get Sesshomaru to talk about the plain.

"So, Sesshomaru, what do you know about the area we are about to travel through?" The question was phrased politely, but Sesshomaru could tell that Kagome wanted an answer. After a minute, he decided to give her one.

"That plain is the outer edge of the Southern lands. It is a bleak place, with only grass. For a person who did not know their way, it would take weeks to cross, and they would perish of thirst long before. However, on the other side of the plain is a thick jungle. In the center of this jungle is a large palace. In this palace resides Lord Torsin. He is the Lord of the Southern Lands. He is a tiger demon. That is where we are headed." Kagome looked at him nervously for a second.

"But you just said that it would take weeks to cross the plain." Sesshomaru shook his head slightly.

"I said that it would take weeks if the person did not know the way. I, however, know exactly where I am going. We will be at the palace by tomorrow evening." Kagome still looked doubtful, but she decided to trust the demon lord.

After the brief conversation, everyone resumed eating, and when they were finished, everyone decided to get some rest. Sesshomaru saw this and decided to wander off. Kagome noticed the demon lord leaving and got up to follow.

After following Sesshomaru through the trees for fifteen minutes, Kagome lost sight of her target. Pausing, she looked around and focussed her senses, hoping to see where the demon lord had disappeared to.

Kagome was startled out of her concentration by a cold voice. "Were you attempting to follow me, Kagome?" Whirling around, she was greeted by the sight of the white clothed demon lord. Stepping back, she asked her own question.

"Where were you going?" The question seemed to surprise Sesshomaru, because he didn't respond. But then, he regained his composure.

"I felt like taking a walk. The half breed's stench is overpowering." Kagome nodded in understanding. Then, she asked another question.

"Earlier, why did you give Kouga a chance to run away? It's not like you." Sesshomaru gazed at the girl for a moment, but then decided to answer.

"I could tell that you did not really want him dead. I gave him a chance to escape, to avoid being killed. If he was smart, he would have left. It is hard to prove your devotion to someone when you are dead." Kagome nodded.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For atleast giving him a chance to save himself. It's his own fault that he was too stupid to take it." Sesshomaru nodded, then abruptly turned and started walking back to camp. Kagome was surprised for a moment, but then she caught up with him and they walked back to the camp in silence.

Once they arrived, Sesshomaru immediately froze. Looking around, his gaze finally stopped, pointing out across the field. Kagome followed his gaze, but was unable to see what had caused the demon lord to tense up.

"What's wrong?" The question was laced with concern, but Sesshomaru didn't answer right away. However, he did eventually give her an answer.

"Someone is coming. Make no noise. It is better if the half breed remains asleep. The approaching person does not take kindly to rude, loud mouthed idiots." Kagome looked at him in puzzlement. Sesshomaru saw the look and sighed.

"I recognize the approaching demon. He will be here in minutes. Before he arrives, I warn you. Do not aggravate this man. He may seem easy going, but he will not hesitate to kill anyone who displeases him."

After this, Sesshomaru fell silent and Kagome was left to stand staring at the field with a horrible fear building in her stomach.

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Well, I decided to kill off Kouga. He's pretty annoying. Anyways, please review this chapter.

Oh, and thanks to all the people who reviewed my last chapter.

Thank You!


	6. New Ally

**Liberate**

**New Ally**

After a few seconds, Kagome was finally able to feel the approaching person. The power that was radiating from him was immense. She looked at Sesshomaru and noticed that he was still staring outward, his face frozen in his emotionless mask.

Turnng back, Kagome was just in time to see the approaching figure. Her eyes widened when she realized how fast it was moving. In no time, the demon had come to a halt directly in front of Sesshomaru. This gave Kagome a chance to study the strangers features.

The demon stood only a few inches shorter than Sesshomaru, but he was slightly bulkier. His hair was pitch black, and it fell to his shoulder, completely covering his pointed ears. The demons eyes were bright crimson, making him appear vicious, and the fangs in his mouth were even longer than Sesshomaru's.

As Kagome's eyes took in his face, her gaze was drawn to his forehead, which had a marking similar to Sesshomaru's on it. There was a blue crescent moon, but it was wreathed in flame. Also, on his cheeks were two slashes, like Sesshomaru, but these were as crimson as his eyes.

As Kagome's gaze left his face, it traveled to take in the stranger's clothing. He was dressed completely in black, his clothing similar to Sesshomaru's, minus the armor and the fluffy tail. At his side was strapped a silver sword, that had a red tinge to it, and had a black stone set in the pommel.

At that moment, Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when the strange demon spoke. "It has been a long time, Sesshomaru. Almost seventy years." Sesshomaru nodded and turned his attention to Kagome when he felt her move.

Kagome had cringed slightly at the demon's voice. Although it was deep, it had a slight hissing quality to it that made her think of reptiles. Sesshomaru looked at her calmly before turning back to the stranger.

"Seventy years. And you choose this time to reappear. Why?" The demon smirked slightly at this.

"First, I heard that you had been traveling with a human child. Then, I heard that you now traveled in a group containing a monk, a demon slayer, a priestess, a child fox demon, and your own half brother. I was curious as to what would drive the cold, cruel bastard known as Sesshomaru to keep such company." Kagome gasped at this. In all the time she had known Sesshomaru, she had never heard anyone, besides Inuyasha, speak to him like that. She waited apprehensively for the stranger's head to roll.

However, after a moment where no blood was shed, Sesshomaru finally spoke again. "It is none of your concern with who I keep company. And you have no right to speak to me after failing in your oath." Kagome grew puzzled at this, but before she could ask what he was talking about, she was interrupted by a loud hissing. She looked to see that the demon was now baring his fangs and anger.

"I did not fail. I watched him for twenty years, making sure that no one seriously harmed him. It was not my fault he chose to become attracted to a priestess. After that, I was unable to watch him properly. She nearly caught me on several occasions. And, by the time I became aware of what was happing, he had already been sealed." Kagome was shocked at this. It was clear that he was talking of Inuyasha. She chose that moment to join the coversation.

"Sesshomaru, what is he talking about? Why was he following Inuyasha around?" The question was loud and it interrupted Sesshomaru's train of thought. Turning to her, he decided to answer the question.

"After my father was killed, was made aware that he had another child, with a human. Regardless of how much I despise Inuyasha, he is my brother. Honour dictates that I could not leave him to die. Unfortuntely, at the time, I had to assume responsibility as Lord of the Western Lands. In my stead, I sent Tyral to watch over the half breed." Sesshomaru indicated the demon standing in front of him. Tyral inclined his head in greeting.

"Who is he?" This question brought a smirk to Tyral's face. He moved to stand in front of her.

"Allow me to explain." Sesshomaru nodded. "I am Tyral. I am a dragon demon. My clan members are rulers of the Eastern lands. However, being the second son, I was abandoned at birth. My kin are not very caring. Since a heir to the lordship had already been born, I was unneeded. The left me for dead, but I was found by Sesshomaru's father. He brought me back to his lands, where his own son had just been born. After years, I was officially adopted into his family. That is why my crest is similar to Sesshomaru's. Since the death of my real brother, I am officially an heir to both the Eastern and Western lands." Kagome looked at Sesshomaru in surprise.

"So, you two are like brothers? Well, that is odd. How come Inuyasha never told me?" Sesshomaru looked at her silently for a moment.

"The half breed does not know." Kagome nodded and turned her attention back to Tyral.

"Well, Sesshomaru doesn't strike me as the caring brother type. What kept him from killing you?" This question made both demons smirk slightly. But Tyral answered.

"Well, besides the fact that I was the only person who could actually kick his ass, he had need of me. For two hundred years, we traveled the lands, expanding his father's territory. Did you think the Western lands were so large for no reason. No, together we conquered land, adding to the Western lands. Although this greatly irritated the other demon lords, no one dared to try anything. We were the three most powerful demons and everyone else knew it. However, when Sesshomaru's father was killed, I agreed to watch over Inuyasha." Kagome nodded, accepting his explanation, although she doubted his claim that he could beat Sesshomaru.

Then, it was Sesshomaru's turn to speak. "Why have you not contacted me in the fifty years since Inuyasha was sealed to the tree." Tyral grinned at this.

"I was busy claiming what was rightfully mine." Sesshomaru looked thoughtful for a minute before he smirked.

"I had wondered about the rumours of civil war in the Eastern lands. Apparently the claims were not completely fabricated." Tyral nodded.

"I returned home to claim my place as the Lord. Unfortunately, my brother resisted and I was forced to kill him. My father, on the other hand, decided to beg for his life rather than fight for it. I decided to let him remain on the throne, for the time being. I am now the only heir. If he were to suddenly die, I would be the new Lord of the Eastern lands." He said this with a smile on his face.

Kagome shuddered involuntarily. _How could he talk so casually about killing his brother and making his father beg for life?_ After a moment, Kagome finally figured that being abandoned at birth probably brought forth feelings of animosity towards those who abandoned you.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru had began to talk again. "What will you do now, Tyral?" At this question, the dragon demon suddenly shifted as if he were uncomfortable. Kagome was struck be the sudden familiarity of the position. It was the exact way Sota stood around her when he was about to ask a question that he was sure was going to be answered with a no.

"Well, I was hoping that perhaps your group had room for one more. It has been weird without traveling without anyone Sesshomaru. I traveled with you for centuries. After that, even though he wasn't aware of it, it was like I traveled with Inuyasha. But for the last fifty years, there has been no one. There are not many demons, or humans, who have not heard of me, and my reputation is not the best. Most are frightened of me and the rest only wish to test themselves by fighting me." Sesshomaru looked at him silently for a moment before answering.

"You shall travel with us. You are my brother after all. Besides, I was growing tired of conversing with the monk. He speaks of women non stop. It is quite boring after a while." Tyral nodded, then a loud voice split the air.

"You know, Inuyasha is not going to be happy that another demon will be with us. He barely tolerates you, Sesshomaru. He probably going to try something violent when he hears about this." Both Sesshomaru and Tyral shrugged at this. Then, Tyral turned to Sesshomaru.

"I will sleep now. Something tells me we will be traveling fast tomorrow. You can tell me the destination when I awaken." With that, the dragon demon merely sat on the ground, and closed his eyes.

Sesshomaru motioned for Kagome to follow him. She did so, hoping he would answer some of her questions. When they were across the clearing from the demon, Sesshomaru turned and gestured for Kagome to ask whatever questions she had.

"Is he really your brother?"

"Yes. He is my adopted brother."

"You don't seem to hate him. Why?"

"He was my companion for centuries. He is like me in many ways. And he is an extremely powerful demon. Not my equal, but not much weaker. As we grew, I grew to respect his abilties and a bond formed between us. It would not please me to kill him. Does that answer your question?" Kagome nodded.

"Yes. Why did you agree to let him travel with us?"

"Simple. He is a powerful ally. Plus, it is good to see him again. It has been seventy years. And he is my brother." Kagome nodded again, surprised at the answer. She had not expected Sesshomar to admit that he cared for the dragon demon. But her thoughts were brought to an end by the sudden flare of power she felt behind her.

Whirling around, Kagome was greeted by the sight of Inuyasha, Tetsusaiga drawn, racing towards the stationary figure of Tyral, still seated on the ground with his eyes closed. Before she could say anything, Inuyasha brought the sword crashing down, straight towards the dragon demon's head.

Kagome's scream of horror was halted before it even left her mouth. Instead, a gasp of astonishment took it's place. She watched in amazement as Tyral went from sitting still, with his eyes closed, to standing directly beside Inuyasha before Tetsusaiga had time to split his skull.

In the next instant, Tyral had grasped Inuyasha by the throat and lifted him off of the ground. Inuyasha attempted to swing the Tetsusaiga, but when he did, something starnge occured.

The sword halted before it struck Tyral and suddenly reverted back to it powerless form. Inuyasha, caught in Tyral's clawed hand, looked at his sword in shock. The scene was suddenly disturbed by a deep, booming laugh.

Kagome looked around with curiosity, wondering who had emitted the sound. Her jaw dropped in shock when she realized who it was. Sesshomaru.

The demon lord had thrown his head back and was laughing uproariously. Kagome continued staring at him in shock, along with both Tyral and Inuyasha, until his laughter finally faded away, leaving the clearing completely silent.

Sesshomaru suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him. As he let his emotionless mask fall back into place, he spoke. "Am I not permitted to find something amusing. Inuyasha, can you not smell it? Your diluted blood may weaken your sense, but even you should know your own father's scent when you smell it." Kagome's and Inuyasha's eyes widened in puzzlement at this. Sighing, Sesshomaru elaborated.

Pointing at Tyral's sword, he indicated the black stone that was embedded in the hilt. "That is a soulstone. Father gave it to Tyral for protection. It was his wish that we not kill each other, and he knew that the Tenseiga would protect me from the Tetsusaiga. But there was no sword for Tyral. Instead, Father gave him the soulstone. He knew that if the Tetsusaiga detected his presence on a person, it would not work against that person. The soulstone is like a piece of Father's soul, solidified." Inuyasha pondered this before responding.  
"Why would Father give his protection to a dragon?" Sesshomaru smirked at this.

"How could he not? He was like a son to him." Inuyasha's eyes went wide at this, but before he could say anything, he was suddenly released from Tyral's grasp and sent tumbling to the ground.

"What the hell do you mean he was like a son to him?"  
"Exactly what I said, half breed. Father adopted him centuries ago. He is our brother." Inuyasha scoffed at that.

"Yeah right. He may be your brother, but I'll be damned before I'm ever related to some stinking lizard." Before Inuyasha could speak again, he suddenly found himself caught once again by Tyral. The dragon demon lifted the half demon up to his eye level, then spoke.

"Insult me again, half breed, and I will kill you on the spot. I may not be as cruel as Sesshomaru, but I happen to also lack his control. If you piss me off, you will die. If you act nicely, we won't have a problem. I have no problem being near half demons. After all, I was near you for twenty years. But I will not hesitate to get rid of you." Inuyasha, instead of looking scared, suddenly looked thoughtful.

"It's you. I knew you seemed familar. When I was younger, I was being attacked by some demons. As I ran, I could sense a strong aura, but only for a moment. When I turned around, all the demons had vanished. I assumed that they had decided to go after some humans instead of me. But it was you. You killed them." Tyral nodded his head and let go of Inuyasha.

The half demon said nothing, but now he acted more polite around the dragon demon. At that moment, a cold voice split the air.

"Well, what a touching family reunion. Three brothers, together for the first time ever. It's too bad I have to disturb the moment."

All three demons and Kagome turned towards the speaker. Inuyasha was the first to speak, and when he did, his voice was full of hatred.

"Naraku..."

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Well, that's chapter 6. I decided to add Tyral, even though this does not coincide with the real history of Inuyasha. But it's my story, so if you don't like it, too bad. Also, one reviewer said that I made Kagome way out of character by having her agree to Sesshomaru to killing Kouga. Like I said before, it's my story. If you don't like it, don't fucking read it. Anyways, please read and review.

Thank You!


	7. Flight

**Liberate**

**Flight**

Once his name was spoken, the evil half demon grinned. "Inuyasha, I see you are still continuing your pointless quest for the jewel shards." Inuyasha merely snarled at this. Naraku grinned once again, as Inuyasha drew Tetsusaiga. Stepping forward, the evil half demon raised his arms in a gesture of peace.

"Calm down, Inuyasha. I did not come here for a fight. What use would you be to me dead?" Inuyasha snarled again when Naraku said this.

"What the hell are you talking about? What the hell would you need us for?" Naraku said nothing. Instead, he beckoned to someone behind him. As everyone looked on, Naraku's incarnation, Kanna, stepped forward, holding her mirror.

"Watch the mirror." The command, spoken by Naraku, made Inuyasha scoff.

"As if. We all know that as soon as we look in the mirror, you are going to try to suck up our souls. What do you think I am, an idiot or something?" But Inuyasha never got his answer, because at that moment, Kagome stepped forward, looking at the mere intently. Naraku nodded in appreciation.

"Smart girl. Don't worry, Inuyasha. I have no need to steal your soul. As I said before, I need you all alive." At that moment, both Sesshomaru and Tyral stepped forward as well, moving to either side of Kagome and looking into the mirror.

As they watched, the mirror changed from showing their reflections to showing a cave somewhere, with a large stream of lava visible on the floor. As they watched, a person suddenly entered the picture. The newcomer appeared to be an average person, but as they watched, he walked over to the far wall, which had four strange symbols carved into it.

Placing his right hand on the wall, the man reached into a bag he was carrying and withdrew a glowing red sphere. As they looked on, the man threw the sphere at the ground, effectively shattering it. A red light shot from it, straight into the man's left hand. It channeled through his body and into the wall. One of the strange symbols started glowing red.

Then, the man reached into his bag and withdrew another sphere, this one emitted a brownish light. He proceeded to destroy the sphere and channel the released energy into the wall. This time, after he was finished, the air started to shimmer. As everyone watched, a body suddenly materialized beside the man.

The new arrival looked very strange. He stood quite a bit taller than the other man, and his features were more pronounced than that of his companion. He had white eyes, white hair, and his skin was deathly pale. He looked almost transparent. Kagome felt a wave of pity for the man, who she assumed to be quite sick and weak.

However, her assumption was proved wrong only seconds later, when the man suddenly looked up. Then he spoke. "We are being spyed upon." Then, he waved his hand. The mirror instantly reverted back to showing everyone's reflection.

When this happened, Kagome pulled back to look at Naraku with confusion in her eyes. He noticed her look and smirked.

"What you just witnessed was the awakening of a demon who has been sealed away for nearly one thousand years. He was sealed away with the combined efforts of all four lords. As a security measure, the symbols were drawn on the wall, and each was tied to a sphere. Each lord took one sphere to keep safe for within each sphere resided the power necessary to negate the sealing power of each symbol." Tyral spoke up at that point.

"Who is he?"

"His name is Rasirel. He was once a demon who was blessed by the gods for his good deeds. Unfortunately, as his power grew, so did his ambition. It was through this that evil seduced him and brought him to do evil things. It took all four lords, the four most powerful demons at the time, to seal him away. Now, however, two of the lords are already dead. That is how he got the two spheres. In that, we are fortunate. With only two spheres, his full power is still locked away. But he is still deadly. And he will come for the remaining spheres." Everyone was silent after this. Then Inuyasha spoke.

"Why should we care?" Naraku looked at the half demon like he was an idiot.

"In case you hadn't noticed, you are traveling with the Lord of the Western Lands. He possesses one of the spheres. I possess the other." Sesshomaru looked at Naraku when he said this.

"Why do you have the last sphere? It should be with Lord Ryakel." Naraku nodded at this.

"I decided to take it from him. I am a lot more powerful than that stupid fish. And, according to the legend, it will take the four most powerful demons alive to reseal Rasirel." Sesshomaru nodded. Inuyasha chose that moment to speak.

"Why would we help you Naraku? Considering the way you treat your allies, how do we know you won't suddenly join with this new guy and let him kill us all?" Naraku grinned at this.

"You don't know. The only reassurance I give is that I do not seek the same thing that Rasirel seeks. I seek power. He seeks death. As he once fought to keep evil from the world, he now fights to keep good out. And as much as I detest you, I will not allow the world to be destroyed. What would I rule if everything was gone?" Inuyasha snarled once again, but he didn't attempt to speak anymore. So, Naraku decided to talk instead.

"As we stand here, Rasirel is attempting to sense the spheres. He will come for them soon. Also, he will attempt to flush out the four demons with enough power to reseal him. I am one. You, Sesshomaru, are another. You, dragon, are another. There is one more. I have been searching for him, but I have not been able to find him. That is both good and bad. Bad, because we have no idea where he is, and good because if I couldn't locate him, there is a good chance that Rasirel will not be able to find him either." Sesshomaru stayed silent, so Tyral took his chance to talk.

"I assume that his servant has killed my father then." Naraku nodded.

"He destroyed him and took the sphere. The pitiful dragon died begging for his life. Not much difference for the Southern lord. Although he didn't beg. His attempted to fight, but he was terribly outclassed. He only lasted a minute." Tyral indicated his understanding.

"Well, that means that there are three lords still left alive. Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, Ryakel, Lord of the Northern Lands, and now Tyral, new Lord of the Eastern Lands. Ryakel, unfortunately, is a pitiful excuse for a demon lord. He will be useless during the fight. That is why I took the sphere from him. It is safer in my possession." After saying this Naraku fell silent, leaving everyone time to ponder this.

Kagome almost laughed out loud as she thought about this new development. They were about to ally themselves with Naraku, their sworn enemy, who they had been trying to kill every chance they got. It was rather ironic. Suddenly, Sesshomaru spoke.

"We will hunt for the fourth demon. You will leave and not return until the demon is found. If we are all in the same place at once, Rasirel will surely sense us. Leave now, but be prepared to fight when you are summoned." Naraku nodded to indicate he understood. But before he left, he offered a warning.

"After Rasirel is resealed, nothing will have changed. I will continue to collect the jewel shards, and you will all die by my hand. But until then, allies we will be. Just be thankful I don't wish to ally myself with Rasirel. If I did, there would be no one alive who could stop me." With that last statement and a burst of could laughter, Naraku was gone, taking Kanna with him.

As soon as Narku diappeared, Inuyasha spoke up. "As if we would actually join up with that bastard. After everything he's done to us, he must think we're stupid." However, the half demon's rant was interrupted when Sesshomaru suddenly turned to him.

"Pack up everything. We are leaving now. And we will be traveling quickly" Inuyasha scoffed.

"I don't take orders from you, asshole." Sesshomaru stared at his brother for a moment. Then, he smirked slightly.

"Fine then. You can stay here. Everybody else, however, is coming with me." Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru, hatred evident in his eyes. Then, he shrugged, and gestured for Sango to climb onto his back. Sesshomaru halted him, however.

"No, half breed. When I said we would be traveling quickly, I meant by air. You cannot fly." Inuyasha growled but stood up.

"Well then, what the hell are we going to do? If you think I'm going to fly around on you, you are crazy." Sesshomaru looked at Inuyasha silently.

"If you think I'm going to carry you, then you are the insane one, halfbreed. You can ride one of the creatures." Sesshomaru indicated Ah-Un and Kilala. Inuyasha scoffed and jumped onto Kilala's back, then pulled Sango up behind him. Kilala waited until they were both secured, then took to the air, followed by Tyral, who simply leapt up and hovered, waiting for the remaining companions to join him.

Miroku then leapt up onto Ah-Un. For some reason, he doubted that either demon lord would carry him. Sliding backwards, the perverted monk grinned and patted the space in front of him on Ah-Un's back. "Climb on up, Kagome. There's enough room for both of us." Kagome shuddered slightly when she thought about riding with the lecherous monk.

Her fears were never realized however, because at that moment, she felt an arm wrap around her waist, and suddenly she was looking down at the ground, which was suddenly far below. Turning her head slightly, Kagome was greeted by the sight of Sesshomaru's face, looking straight ahead. She looked at him questioningly and he noticed the look.

"I assumed that you would be wary to travel with the monk. I highly doubt that he would keep his hands to himself and I really do not want to stop to retrieve him if you were to push him off. This way is much more efficient." Kagome nodded in understanding and leaned into Sesshomaru, attempting to stay still, so that the demon lord wouldn't lose his grip.

After that, Ah-Un leapt into the air and everybody set off, flying south over the plain at a very high speed. Although everyone flew as fast as possible, no one could keep up with Sesshomaru, and he was soon far ahead of everybody. No one noticed the smirk on Tyral's face as he gazed in the direction that Sesshomaru and Kagome had went.

As they flew along, Kagome was slightly distracted by the frigid air that was hitting her unmercifully. However, she soon noticed that they had left everybody far behind. She turned her head to Sesshomaru and attmpted to speak.

"We should stop and wait for everyone to catch up." Kagome stopped speaking when she realized that she couldn't even hear her own voice over the rushing winds, so she was surprised when Sesshomaru suddenly stopped. He looked down at her.

"We will wait here." With that, he turned around, facing back in the direction they had come from. They waited for nearly twenty minutes and there was still no sign of anyone. Kagome spoke suddenly.

"How fast do you fly?" Sesshomaru didn't reply for a moment, then he spoke.

" I have never measured." Kagome nodded in understanding, and they resumed waiting in silence. However, after another ten minutes, Kagome spoke again.

"Maybe they got lost." Sesshomaru shook his head.

"No. I can sense them. However, I am surprised that Tyral hasn't arrived yet. He used to be nearly as fast as I was. Perhaps these last fifty years have changed him more than I thought." Sesshomaru fell silent after this, and appeared to be thinking.

At that momet, Kagome realized how cold she was. Without thinking, she pushed herself backwards, attempting to warm herself by getting closer to the demon lord. He said nothing, but he didn't pull away.

At that moment, Tyral suddenly arrived. He was closely followed by the rest of the group. They all stopped and hovered in front of Sesshomaru, waiting for him to speak.

"We will soon reach the location of the Southern palace. However, according to Naraku's tale, the Southern lord was killed. Since Naraku said nothing about a new Southern lord, we must assume that all of the lord's bloodline were destroyed as well. Therefore, I am uncertain as to what exactly will be left of the palace. Be on your guard." That being said, Sesshomaru turned and once again resumed his flight.

Tyral immediately took off after Sesshomaru, closely followed by Kilala and Ah-Un. This time, however, Tyral matched Sesshomaru's speed all the way to the palace. Sesshomaru noticed this, but he said nothing.

After only a few minutes, Kagome looked down and realized that they were no longer traveling over the plain. A lush jungle was now located directly below them. As she looked out over the trees, Kagome suddenly caught sight of the palace.

It was huge, and seemed to be constructed of some green material. After a closer look, Kagome guessed that it was emerald. After looking at it, Sesshomaru determined that there was no damage to it. He immediately assumed that Lord Torsin had been killed while away from his home.

The group landed directly in front of the huge palace. Inuyasha and Sango immediately slid off of Kilala and started stretching. Miroku followed suit and slid off of Ah-Un quickly. Kagome, however, was not so quick to let go. Reluctantly, she finally slid out of Sesshomaru's grasp and suddenly shivered from the sudden absence of heat.

Tyral noticed that and smirked again. At that moment, Sesshomaru spoke. "We will spend the night here. I have something I need to take care of." With that, he turned around and entered the palace through the main doors, leaving everyone behind.

After a moment's hesitation, Tyral followed Sesshomaru through the front doors and into a large, open hall that was decorated by countless paintings and other valuable looking ornaments. Sesshomaru, however, was not there.

Shrugging, Tyral casually sat down and closed his eyes. He didn't even stir when the door suddenly flew open, and Inuyasha stormed in, closely followed by the rest of the group. "You should all rest while you have the chance. Something tells me that we will not be resting for very long after this." Tyral fell silent after saying this.

Inuyasha scoffed but said nothing. Instead, he threw himself to the floor and closed his eyes. Sango followed suit and leaned back against Inuyasha and closed her eyes. Miroku, however, decided to explore. Looking around, he saw a door off to the side and entered it, leaving Kagome standing there.

Sighing, she sat down and closed her eyes and was soon asleep. As soon as he was sure that everybody was asleep, Tyral opened his eyes and stood up. Looking around, he turned and walked down the hall, towards a large door at the end.

Upon reaching the door, Tyral opened it quietly and entered. He immediately noticed Sesshomaru standing in the middle of the room, his eyes closed. Tyral immediately knew what he was doing.

"You will assume responsibility for the lordship of the Southern lands." It was a statement, not a question. Sesshomaru nodded.

"Yes, until such time as a proper lord can be located I will be the Southern lord." Tyral indicated his approval. Sesshomaru suddenly turned to face him. Tyral immediately grew uncomfortable under his brother's intense gaze.

"Why did you intentionally fly slower today?" The simple question brought a large grin to Tyral's face.

"I assumed that you would want to be alone with the girl." Surprise flashed briefly over Sesshomaru's face, causing Tyral to burst out laughing.

"What are you talking about? I was merely carrying her to avoid a confrontation with the monk." This explanation only made Tyral laugh even harder. Sesshomaru was starting to become angered by the dragon demon's laughter.

"Please, Sesshomaru. It is quite clear that you care for the girl. You can't deny it." Sesshomaru replyed almost immediately, but there was a slight hesitation.

"You are wrong. The girl is merely a companion. The only feelings I have for her are the same as I feel for everyone else in the group. They are people I have to be with until the shards are collected and Naraku is destroyed." Sesshomaru evidently thought that this was a good explanation, but Tyral wasn't buying it.

"That's a lie and you know it. I can tell by your hesitation. I find it quite funny. The great Lord Sesshomaru, cold as ice, has developed feelings for a human girl." Tyral burst out laughing once again, and exited the room, leaving Sesshomaru standing there with a look of confusion on his face.

* * *

Chapter 7 is done. Please read and review.

Thank You!


	8. Discoveries

**Liberate**

**Discoveries**

After leaving Sesshomaru to ponder his words, Tyral reentered the hallway. Tyral immediately noticed that Miroku had not returned yet. Looking around, Tyral saw the door that Miroku had gone through and quickly made his way through it.

As soon as Tyral passed through the door, he could see that he was in a long hallway. He noticed that there was a large door at the end of the hallway and that Miroku was standing beside it, apparently looking for a way to open it. He could sense Miroku's frustration and quickly made his way over to the monk.

"Is it locked?" At the question, Miroku looked at Tyral like he was an idiot before responding.

"Of course. Why else would I be standing here? Unfortunately, I believe that it has been sealed with magic, and my sutras appear to have no effect on it at all." Tyral nodded in understanding.

Reaching out, he placed his hand on the door. As soon as he touched it, the dragon demon smirked. Drawing back, he held his arm straight out and concentrated. Miroku watched in amazement as fire suddenly poured out of Tyral's hand and consumed the door. Tyral noticed Miroku's face and smirked. "I'm a dragon demon. Fire is my specialty."

After a minute, the fire died, but the door remained untouched. Miroku looked at it in amazement, then looked back at Tyral. "I knew that the fire wouldn't harm the door. That wasn't the point. The point is that now, the sutras that were sealing this door have been destroyed. They were invisible, but my fire destroyed them. Now you should be able to force it open."

Miroku nodded and grasped the doorhandle and pulled. After a minute of this, the monk realized that the door wasn't budging. Then, the handle snapped off in his hands. Seeing this, Tyral moved forward and without hesitation, smashed his foot into the door.

The thick piece of wood immediately cracked in half. Reaching out, Tyral grasped both halves and pulled, cleanly separating the broken door from the doorway. Without a backwards glance, Tyral entered the new room. Miroku quickly followed him.

Both the dragon demon and the monk halted in horror at the contents of the room. Piled up against the opposite wall were dozens of bodies. Tyral immediately recognized the tiger demons. At that moment, Sesshomaru arrived.

As soon as the door had been broken open, he had smelled the blood. Now, he quickly realized that he had been wrong in assuming that Lord Torsin had been killed while away from the palace. Instead, the lord and all of the other inhabitants of the palace had been slaughtered and sealed in this room.

All three stood in silence for a moment, pondering why the bodies had been sealed in here, rather than just left to rot where they had been killed. Tyral was the first to figure it out. His eyes widened and he turned to Sesshomaru. Both looked at each other, then turned and sped out of the room and down the hallway.

Before either demon could get to the door that led back where everybody else was, it slammed shut. They sounds of clashing swords could be heard through the door. Both demons snarled at this sound. Reaching forward, Tyral attempted to force the door opne, but it wouldn't move. He immediately knew that it wasn't mere sutras sealing this. Someone with immense power was keeping it closed.

Tyral turned to Sesshomaru when he heard a sizzling sound. His eyes widened when he saw what had happened. Sesshomaru had placed his claws on the door and unleashed his poison onto it. In a matter of seconds, the highly acidic substance had eaten a large hole in the wood.

As soon as that happened, Sesshomaru drew Tokijin and brought it crashing down at into the hole. The door was split asunder.

Sesshomaru and Tyral emerged into the hallway and were greeted by the sight of atleast a dozen strange looking demons advancing on Inuyasha, who had drawn Tetsusaiga and was standing protectively in front of Kagome, whose was lying, unmoving, on the ground. Sango was beside him with her own sword drawn.

Kilala and Ah-Un were both watching the approaching demons with hatred in their eyes.

At that moment, Inuyasha unleashed the wind scar on his enemies. As they all moved to dodge the attack, the gave Sesshomaru his opening.

Leaping forward, Tokijin in his hand, Sesshomaru brought it down on the closest demon, completely severing it's head. Without pausing, the enraged demon lord unleashed an energy blast at the next demon, immediately disintegrating it.

By that time, the demons had realized that Sesshomaru was there and half of them turned to face the new threat. Unfortunately for them, they didn't notice Tyral until it was too late.

His own blade still in it's sheath, Tyral leapt at the closest demon. At the last moment, Tyral unsheathed his sword and swung it downwards.

As soon as the blade hit the air, it began to heat up. Soon, the entire length of the blade was covered in flames. The superheated sword easily sliced through it's target. Seconds later, the blade was buried in the chest of yet another demon.

While this was happening, Sesshomaru had decapitated two more demons, then thrust Tokijin through the heart of another demon. Unfortunately, the stab was so powerful, it went through the demon and pierced the wall behind him. At that moment, another demon leapt at Sesshomaru and the demon lord was forced to let go of his sword or risk being stabbed.

The attacking demon grinned, believing that it had just assured it's victory over Sesshomaru. The grin faded, however, when Sesshomaru calmly reached out and and grabbed hs neck. The poison began to flow from his claws, immediately killing the helpless demon.

After this, only four of the original twelve demons remained. These four looked at each other nervously. They had been told that both Sesshomaru and Tyral would not be present for the battle. Unfortunately, that was obviously untrue, and they had all witnessed te ease with which the other eight of them had been destroyed. They contemplated retreating.

However, the choice was taken out of their hands. Sesshomaru, his eyes blazing red, leapt forward. The air crackled with his obvious anger. The four demons never had a chance.

In an instant, Sesshomaru had thrust his clawed hand through one demon's chest. Pulling back, he reached out and ripped the throat out of anther demon.

Before the other two could even react, the demon lord repeated the throat ripping on one of the demons, leaving only one alive. The last demon didn't even have time to move before his chest was pierced by Sesshomaru's claws. He was dead instantly.

Sesshomaru stood for a moment, silent, attempting to calm himself. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see a pair of crimson eyes. He growled and tried to pull away but Tyral wouldn't release him.

"Pull yourself together, Sesshomaru. You are needed." These words meant little to the out of control demon, but when Tyral pointed to something, Sesshomaru's eyes widened and the his eyes immediately faded back to their golden colour.

As soon as Tyral saw that Sesshomaru had regained control, he released him. Sesshomaru felt Tyral's hand leave his shoulder and he immediately walked towards the thing that Tyral had pointed out.

Kagome was lying on the ground, completely still. A small pool of blood had formed beside her head where it had dripped from the horrendous gash that had been cut across her forehead. As Sesshomaru approached, his face remained blank, but Tyral could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves.

At that moment, the Tenseiga pulsed. Sesshomaru paused and looked down at the sword. Without hesitation, he drew it from it's sheath. Moving forward, he halted above Kagome and waited. After a moment, he could see the creatures on her, attempting to drag her to the other side.

With a swipe of the sword, the creatures were destroyed. Kagome drew a shuddering breath, then sat up, her eyes wide in terror. When she saw that there was nothing threatening her, she looked around the room. Her gaze took in the bloody, mutilated bodies of the evil demons, then turned to Sesshomaru.

With a sob, she leapt up and threw herself at the demon lord. Wrapping her arms around him, she pressed her face into his chest and began to cry. Sesshomaru stood still for a moment, then slowly place his own arm around her and drew her closer.

Inuyasha and Sango watched in amazement as the cruel demon lord comforted Kagome, while Tyral just grinned knowingly. At that moment, Miroku entered the hallway, and he to looked at the two with surprise.

Finally, after about five minutes, Kagome pulled back from Sesshomaru. She looked up at him. "You brought me back." This statement earned her a nod from Sesshomaru.

"I said I would protect you. I failed, but Tenseiga was able to bring you back." Then, Sesshomaru stepped back.

"I have to leave and make sure that there are no more demons laying in wait. They were undoubtedly sent by Rasirel. I will return shortly. Right now, eat. Tyral, be on your guard." With that, the demon lord turned and exited the palace.

Tyral waited until his brother was outside, then turned to Kagome, who was standing stationary, gazing after Sesshomaru. He smiled at the expression on her face, then walked over to her. Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku took the opportunity to break out some food and began to eat.

When Tyral walked over to Kagome, he slowly placed his hand on her shoulder. She immediately turned to face him.

"You should eat before he returns. He will undoubtedly wish to leave this place before morning." Kagome nodded at Tyral's wisdom. Then, she noticed the amusement that was clearly evident in his crimson eyes.

"What's so funny, Tyral?" The dragon demon paused for a moment, then grinned.

"Is it not obvious? Sesshomaru, the prince, no, the king of ice, has fallen for you, a mere human. I find it quite hilarious." Tyral's blunt statement caught Kagome by surprise. She looked up at him in shock.

"What are you talking about? Sesshomaru cares for me as a friend, nothing more. I am nothing but a human, as you said." Tyral's grin faded slightly at the girl's dejected tone.

"Trust me, Kagome. I ate, lived, and fought with my brother for centuries. I know him better than anyone. The way he feels about you is quite clear to me." Kagome looked at him disbelievingly.

"Believe what you wish, human, but it is clear to everyone. When Sesshomaru saw you lying on the ground, dead, he was consumed with rage. There were twelve demons here when we arrived. Sesshomaru destroyed ten of them. He didn't even give them a chance. His rage took control of him. But it was the sight of you that brought him back. Think about that for a while, Kagome, then think about what I have told you." With that, Tyral turned and joined the others to eat.

Kagome, standing alone, thought about what Tyral had told her. _It's impossible. Sesshomaru can't have feelings for me. _But Kagome couldn't shake the feeling that Tyral was right.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was walking around the perimeter of the castle, looking carefully for any sign of demons. He knew, however, that even if there were some, he would never find any trace of them. The twelve demons that had attacked had left no scent, and there demonic energy, though powerful, had been undetectable before they attacked.

Sesshomaru knew instinctively that the demons had belonged to Rasirel. He remembered a time, centuries ago, when his father had told him a story about a demon who had been sealed away.

Sesshomaru had been young at the time, and had neglected to ask the name of the demon, but he now knew that it was Rasirel. His father had been one of the lords that had sealed away Rasirel. But the part of the tale that had stuck with Sesshomaru was the part about the demonic servants of Rasirel.

Each demon possessed a power equal to that of roughly a quarter of Rasirel's power. Although the demons that had just attacked were relatively weak, the would be much stronger if Rasirel reached his full power.

It worried Sesshomaru slightly that there would be untraceable, extremely powerful demons hunting them. They could attack at any time, and there would be no warning.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru was startled out of his musings by a cold voice. "Sesshomaru. I have found who you seek."

Startled, the demon lord whirled around. He was greeted by the grinning Naraku. Although his face remained blank, Sesshomaru seethed inside at being surprised by the half breed.

"What are you talking about?" Naraku grinned even wider at that.

"I have found the fourth demon. I was returning to my castle, when I sensed a sudden flare of power. It was immensely strong, stronger even than your own aura. I flew towards it, but by the time I arrived, the demon was gone. Fortunately, there was an obvious trail leading away. I followed and I came across the demon while it was resting. I recognized the demon immediately and came to find you." Sesshomaru interrupted him.

"Why did you not attempt to explain to the demon what is happening?" Naraku grinned even wider at this.

"When you see him, you will understand why I decided to let you be the first to approach him. He might be pleased to see you." Sesshomaru looked at Naraku silently for a minute.

"Why would some demon be happy to see me? I do not know him." At this, Naraku actually started laughing.

"Actually, you do know him. And he knows you." Sesshomaru growled at Naraku's attempts to be suspenseful.

Hearing this, the half demon sighed. "Yes, he knows you well indeed. He is, after all, your father."

* * *

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	9. Family Reunion

**Liberate**

**Family Reunion**

"You are mistaken." These words left Sesshomaru's mouth before he could stop them. Naraku, however, merely grinned.

"I am not mistaken. You're father has been resurrected." Although Sesshomaru's face remained neutral, Naraku could tell that he had shocked the demon lord. Before Sesshomaru could ask any questions, Naraku began to explain.

"I believe I know why he has risen from the dead. Will you listen to my explanation?" Sesshomaru nodded.

"Alright then. It is my belief that when the four lords sealed Rasirel away, they poured a large amount of their power into the seal. I believe that your father, as the most powerful of the four, put so much power into it that he inadvertantly put some of his base essence into it. When the seal was broken and Rasirel was released, the part of your father that was there was released as well. This newly freed essence resurrected it's former body. Thus, your father was brought back to the world of the living."

Sesshomaru said nothing for a minute. Although he looked calm on the surface, inside he was quickly thinking about what this new development would bring about. Sesshomaru briefly wondered if his father would be the same demon or if he would be different, but he pushed that thought aside in favour of more pressing matters.

"Where is he?" The cold question was the one Naraku had been expecting. Turning, he pointed directly east.

"Travel east, and you will undoubtedly pick up his scent quickly." Sesshomaru nodded at this, then spoke.

"You will leave now." Naraku nodded.

"Yes. I know that my presence makes everyone else nervous. They are smart to not trust me. I would kill them all in a second if it served my desires. I believe that you know the feeling." With that, Naraku disappeared, leaving Sesshomaru alone with his thoughts.

After standing in silence for a few minutes, Sesshomaru suddenly started walking again. In almost no time, he had returned to the main doors of the palace and entered the main hallway.

Immediately upon his entry, Sesshomaru was greeted by the snarling face of Inuyasha. "Why the hell was the bastard here?" Sesshomaru sighed inwardly.

"He imparted some useful information to me. How were you able to detect him. He masked his scent." Inuyasha grumbled something but didn't give a clear answer. Kagome answered in his stead.

"He's just miffed because he couldn't smell Naraku. Tyral was the one who told us." Sesshomaru nodded. He had known that Tyral would be able to sense Naraku.

"We are leaving now. We will be flying east." When he said this, Sesshomaru's gaze briefly shifted to Tyral. Tyral caught the meaning behind the look and immediately knew what Sesshomaru was saying. Now, Tyral was technically the Lord of the Eastern lands. Unfortunately, whenever a new lord was brought to power, there was always some demons who contested it. It would not be different this time. The farther east they traveled, the more the chance of conflict with the local demons would rise.

"When we reach our destination, the sight you see might shock you. I warn you all now that you should not interfere, regardless of what happens. I cannot guarantee safety to anyone who does something foolish." With this said, the demon lord turned and walked out of the palace. The rest followed him quickly.

Once outside, Tyral immediately took to the sky, He was closely followed by Inuyasha and Sango on Kilala and Miroku on Ah-Un. A second later, Sesshomaru had once again wrapped his arm around Kagome and leapt into the sky. She blushed slightly, but quickly calmed herself. After a brief period of waiting, the group turned and flew east.

They flew in silence for a few hours. Once again, Sesshomaru quickly outpaced the rest, and flew far ahead. Since he was so far ahead, he was the first one to come across the carnage.

As far as he could see, there were bodies everywhere. Humans. The stench of blood was almost overpowering. Luckily, they had only been dead a few hours, or else the smell of decay would have been too much for even him to handle.

As he flew over, Sesshomaru caught a faint scent mixed in with the blood and death. It was his father. He was distracted from his thoughts however, by a small gasp of horror. Looking down, Sesshomaru saw Kagome staring at the scene below with horror.

"Was there a war here?" Sesshomaru answered this question quickly.

"Yes. But that is not the cause of all this." Kagome looked up at him in surprise.

"What did cause this then?"

"The one whom we seek." Kagome nodded her understanding. Sesshomaru flew for a short distance, then landed in a shaded clearing. Letting go of Kagome, he immdiately started off into the trees. Kagome hurried to catch up with him.

"Is he near? The one who killed all those people." Sesshomaru nodded. They walked in silence for a few moments, then came to a large tree. Sesshomaru suddenly halted. Kagome stopped as well.

"He is very close. When we encounter him, do not do anything. If he has changed, I do not lnow how he will react. And even I would be hardpressed to stop him." Kagome nodded amd once again the two set off.

After a few moments, they entered another clearing. Sesshomaru halted once again, and held his arm out, forcing Kagome to halt as well. She looked around in puzzlement for a moment, before a figure suddenly stepped into view. He remained in the shadows, so Kagome couldn't really see anything specific about him, but he appeared to be quite large. Then, he spoke.

"A human, Sesshomaru. I would never have thought that you would willingly travel with a human. I find it quite funny." With that, a deep, booming laughter filled the clearing. Kagome, startled, looked at her companion to see how he would react to be laughed at. But the sight that greeted her eyes almost made her pass out from shock.

Sesshomaru had dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Kagome's jaw dropped. She had not expected the cold, arrogant demon lord to bow before anyone, let alone some person who had just laughed at him. At that moment, however, the demon stepped forth, revealing his features to the two.

Kagome gasped in shock. He could have passed for Sesshomaru's twin, except that instead of the two maroon facial stripes, he had a jagged blue stripe under each eye and his long silver hair was pulled into a high ponytail. He was very tall, slightly taller than Sesshomaru even. Spiked armour made him appear huge, but Kagome suspected that he would be rather large even without the armor.

"Sesshomaru, who is this? Another long lost brother?" Sesshomaru, however, was not the one who answered her.

"A brother? No, I am not his brother. I am his father." This statement made Kagome gasp.

"But that's impossible. You're dead." His face split into a grin at this, making Kagome feel slightly weird. She found it incredibly weird to see a face so much like Sesshomaru show that much emotion.

"I was dead, and now I have returned." All this time, Sesshmaru had remained bowing. Finally, however, he stood. The two demon lords stared at each other silently for a few minutes. Finally, however, Kagome interrupted them.

"I hate to break thsi little reunion up, but I'm pretty sure everybody else will be here soon." This statement seemed to jar the two demons from there thoughts. Sesshomaru nodded.

"Indeed. They will be here soon. If you have any questions, it would be wise to ask them before they arrive." His father nodded.

"What has happened since my death? I awake to find that one of my son's was sealed to a tree for fifty years and his brother did nothing to help him. Then, I find out that he was freed by a strange priestess. Then, that same priestess was able to free the Tetsusaiga, which was used by my son to cut off his own brother's arm. What has been going on?"

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment before answering. "You are correct. Inuyasha was indeed sealed to a tree for fifty years. I did attempt to free him, but it was in vain. Only one with the proper spiritual powers could free him. And yes, Tetsusaiga was freed by a human priestess, and Inuyasha did use it to cut off my arm. But things have changed. We no longer attempt to kill each other. In fact, I am even traveling with him." Sesshomaru's cold words were listened to intently by his father, who nodded.

"And who exactly are all of your companions?" Sesshomaru quickly replied.

"Inuyasha, a monk, a demon slayer, a fire cat, Ah-Un, and Tyral." At the mention of Tyral's name, the demon lord smiled.

"So, you're traveling with both of your brothers now. Who is this human you are with? Surely the great Sesshomaru has not taken a human mate." At this, Kagome blushed brightly and started stammering an explanation. Sesshomary saw her inability to speak and quickly answered.

"This is the priestess who freed Inuyasha from the tree and retrieved the Tetsusaiga for him. She has traveled with him ever since. Her name is Kagome." Kagome stopped trying to talk and merely nodded.

"Well, why is she with you then? Shouldn't she be with Inuyasha?" At this, Sesshomaru suddenly snarled viciously, causing his father to look at him with surprise.

"You will not be pleased with the half breed. He betrayed her for the demon slayer. They were like sisters, and the half breed mated her. That is what first drew me to them." As soon as Sesshomaru spoke of how Inuyasha had betrayed Kagome for Sango, his father;s face had become twisted with anger.

"Inuyasha will be punished." With that said, he suddenly smiled again.

"What is going on in the world now?" Sesshomaru did not answer immediately.

"We should wait for out companions to arrive before we speak of that." At that moment, Sesshomaru sensed that their companions were about to arrive. Before they did however, Kagome spoke.

"What are we supposed to call you?" Sesshomaru's father answered quickly.

"Call me Inu. I am no longer a lord so I guess my name will have to suffice." Kagome nodded. At that moment, everybody landed in the clearing.

Tyral's eyes widened upon seeing who stood with Sesshomaru and Kagome, but he said nothing. Instead, Inuyasha was the one who spoke.

"Who the hell are you?" However, Inu didn't answer. Instead, he suddenly shot towards Inuyasha, his closed fist colliding with his son's jaw. In seconds, he stood over the fallen half demon, his fist clenched.

"You have dishonoured our clan. As punishment, I shall take back that which is rightfully mine." Without further ado, he reached down towards the Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha didn't move. Instead, he decided to let the strange demon attempt to touch the sword.

To Inuyasha's surprise, however, not only was he able to take the sword, he was also able to transform it.

"Do not fear, Inuyasha. I will seal your demon blood. You will not lose control." Inuyasha didn't respond to this. He was still trying to figure out how his sword had been touched by a demon.

"What's wrong, Inuyasha? Aren't you pleased to see your father?" Inuyasha's eyes widened at this. Surprisingly, however, he didn't say anything. Instead, he got to his feet and went to stand beside Sango. Inu grinned and turned to Tyral.

"Greetings, Tyral. I see that you have assumed lordship over the eastern lands." Tyral nodded. He was still shocked by the sudden appearance of his adopted father.

"I understand that all of you may have some questions. I assure you that I will answer them later. But now, I have some things to discuss with Sesshomaru." With that, Inu and Sesshomaru turned and made their way off into the trees. Before they were completely gone, Inu beckoned for Kagome to follow them. The three walked off into the trees, leaving everybody else to silently ponder this new development.

* * *

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	10. Planning

**Liberate**

**Planning**

It was only seconds after the three left that Miroku asked the question that was foremost in his mind.

"Was that really your father?" However, it wasn't Inuyasha who answered. Instead, Tyral fielded the question.

"It was indeed his father, although he wouldn't know. He never met him. I, on the other hand, knew him for centuries. There can be no doubt." Miroku nodded at this, opting to trust Tyral. After that question, everyone remained silent, each thinking their own private thoughts.

Meanwhile, Inu, Sesshomaru, and Kagome walked silently, making their way farther and farther away from their companions. Kagome divided her time between looking at Inu and looking at Sesshomaru. She was surprised that he was taking the appearance of his long dead father so well.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Inu suddenly stopped walking. Sesshomaru and Kagome immediately halted as well. Inu turned to look at them with a serious expression on his face.

"You will tell me what has happened. I did not rise from the grave for no reason. Something brought me back." Sesshomaru said nothing for a minute, then suddenly nodded slightly.

"One of your old enemies has been unleashed upon this world once again." Here he paused, silently waiting for the inevitable interruption.

"Who?" Sesshomaru almost smirked at the sound of anger in his father's voice, but quickly stifled the urge.

"Rasirel." This single name had a very alarming effect on Inu. Instantly, his anger disappeared from his aura, leaving behind a feeling of shock and worry. However, before he could say anything, Sesshomatu resumed speaking.

"I was told by an ally that when you sealed Rasirel, a piece of you was left behind. When Rasirel was unsealed, that part of you was also released. This resulted in your physical body being reformed. However, I am unaware of why you can still remember anything that happened after the sealing of Rasirel. Logic dictates that your memories should only extend to the moment when the part of you was sealed." Sesshomaru suddenly fell silent, as if pondering his own words.

This gave Inu a chance to respond. "It is pointless to speculate on matters that are irrelevant. For now, we should concentrate on what is important. If Rasirel has indeed been resurrected, then we should be preparing for battle." Kagome suddenly decided to include herself in the exchange.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why should we prepare for battle? Surely it would be a better plan to simply redo the sealing spell before Rasirel regains his full strength. That way, we would avoid any unnecessary death." Inu shook his head.

"No. That is not enough. It is obvious to me that sealing him away is not sufficient. There will always be people and demons who are willing to do whatever it takes to gain power. They seek to ally themselves with the most powerful thing possible. Therefore, there will always be the danger of Rasirel being unsealed once again. No, this time, we will destroy him once and for all." At this bold statement, even Sesshomaru looked at Inu with slight surprise.

"How are we supposed to defeat such a powerful opponent? Even missing a considerable amount of power, I can sense that he is easily more powerful than either of us." Inu smirked at this, but it was completely without humour.

"You have no idea. Last time, when we succeeded in sealing him, a mere glance from him was like a sword thrust. I could barely walk for a week after the battle. He has the power of a god when fully unleashed, and he doesn't hold back. Most fighters, when they know that they hold the advantage, tend to taunt their opponent. Not Rasirel. He kills immediately. It was a trait that he learned in the days when he fought evil, and he never forgot. However, this time, we do have an advantage." Kagome looked at Inu with surprise. She couldn't think of anything that they had going for them.

"Last time, when the other three lords and I fought him, we were the most poweful demons alive at the time. This time, however, the four most powerful demons are a lot more powerful than before. I have grown in strength, and I trained Sesshomaru and Tyral very well. Also, the other, the halfbreed, the one that was following me, he appears to be quite powerful as well. This time, we will be successful. Rasirel will perish." Inu sounded so determined that Kagome instinctively felt herself being reassured by him.

Turning, she attempted to guage Sesshomaru's reaction to his father's words, but it was impossible. The usual expressionless mask adorned his face. The only indication that he was even thinking was in the way his eyes were clouded, as if he was attempting to think back.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru moved, shooting out his arm and pulling Kagome close. A second later, she was being pulled through the air and landing on a large branch of a nearby tree. Before she had time to think, Inu had leapt up into the tree next to them.

At that moment, Kagome realized what had happened. Below them, moving quietly, were some of the same type of demons that had attacked them back at the southern palace. They were all tall and clothed in some type of black armour. They all had short, spiked, black hair and their faces were humanoid, but twisted into expressions of cruelty.

Quickly counting the number of demons, Kagome figured that there was about thirty of them. She immediately realized that Sesshomaru and Inu had heard them coming and jumped into the tree to hide. She figured that they were probably also masking their presence.

Kagome fully expected that they would simply wait until the demons had passed, then return to their companions. Unfortunately, that was not what occured.

Without even a yell to signify his presence, Inu suddenly drew the Tetsusaiga from a sheath that was hanging around his waist, and jumped from the tree. He landed directly behind the group of demons, and leapt at them without hesitation.

Kagome and Sesshomaru watched on as the demon lord attacked the demons, relentlessly lashing out with the Tetsusaiga. Kagome had fully expected him to be cut to ribbons by the demons, but that did not happen.

She was so used to the way Inuyasha wielded the Tetsusaiga, that it was a shock to see it being used to methodically to destroy the demons. The wind scar was not even needed. In mere minutes, the entire party of demons lay, in pieces, on the blood soaked ground. Kagome just stood, her mouth open in shock at the immense skill that Inu possessed.

Sesshomaru once again wrapped his arm around Kagome and leapt out of the tree, coming to rest on the ground beside his father. Inu turned to face his son, and his face split into a grin.

"Well, I can still wield the sword with some skill, but I'm afraid that seventy years of death has affected me a lot more than I thought it would."

At that moment, Tyral appeared among the trees, making his way towards them. All three turned to watch the approaching dragon. When Tyral reached them, he looked at the bloody ground silently for a moment, before turning to Inu.

"You're slipping, old man. Only a century ago, you would have destroyed a hundred demons quicker than that." Although his face remained serious, Tyral was clearly joking with his adopted father.

Inu knew this, but decided to play along. "Well, if you think that, maybe I should teach you exactly how good I still am. I believe that I could still whip you like the little lizard that you are." The two glared at each other for a minute, then both of their faces split into grins.

"It's good to see you again, Tyral." Tyral nodded at this, still grinning. Then, his face turned serious. He looked at the bloodstained ground once again, then looked back at Inu.

"We probably should get back to the others, just in case there are more of these things around. I doubt very much that Inuyasha could destroy them as easily as you did." Inu nodded at this, then all four of them began walking back towards their companions.

As they walked, Inu casually slowed his pace, allowing Sesshomaru and Kagome to walk in front of him. As they walked ahead of him, Inu watched how close Kagome stayed to Sesshomaru, and how he wasn't doing anything to push her away. He smirked slightly but refrained from saying anything.

Finally, after the silent walk, the four of them were greeted by the sight of the rest of their companions. Inuyasha immediately came towards them. "What happened? I can smell blood. It smells like those demons that attacked us back at the palace."

"Calm down. We were attacked, but I took care of it." Inu's vague explanation did little to appease the half demon's curiosity, but when he realized that nothing more detailed was forthcoming, he gave up and leapt up into a tree.

Inu watched his son with amusement in his eyes, but he soon grew serious. Turning, he motioned for Miroku to come closer. When the monk complied, Inu turned to Sesshomaru and began speaking.

"The only chance we have to destroy Rasirel is to attack very soon. If we let him continue unscathed, his power will slowly return to him, regardless of the seal. If we attack very soon, he will still be considerably weakened. Now, to attack him, you must keep in mind that a head on rush is foolish. He will kill you immediately. It will be complicated to destroy him, because it will take all of us, and that includes Inuyasha."

At this, the half demon, who had been listening in from his position in the tree, leapt down to them. "How exactly am I supposed to fight this battle? I no longer have my Tetsusaiga, and since this Rasirel guy is so powerful, I doubt my claws will do much damage." Inu smirked at this.

"You will be provided with a weapon. Do not fear." Inu turned back to Sesshomaru and began speaking again.

"Between us, we have some formidable weapons. I have the Tetsusaiga, Kagome has spiritual powers, as does the monk. You, Sesshomaru, have that demonic sword. It seems quite poweful. Tyral has his sword. I assume the other demon, the one who first found me, has some kind of weapon or power. I believe that we will destroy Rasirel. But it will not be easy. He commands immense power, even in his weakened state. This one will not be over quickly."

This warning was not taken lightly by Sesshomaru or Kagome. Both nodded quickly, with serious expressions on their faces. After his little speech was concluded, Inu's whole personality changed. He turned and started a conversation with Miroku. Sesshomaru watched him for a moment, silently thinking that maybe his father was attempting to take his mind off of the upcoming battle.

After Inu and Miroku wandered away, talking liudly, and laughing about some shared joke, Inuyasha turned and made his way over to Sango. Tyral was the next to go. He muttered something about getting some rest, then went and sat by a tree with his eyes closed.

After standing in silence for a moment, Kagome finally spoke. "Do you think we'll be able to defeat Rasirel?" Sesshomaru didn't respond for a few minutes, then suddenly spoke.

"It is inevitable. We will destroy him." Kagome nodded, reassured by Sesshomaru's conviction. They stood in silence again for a few minutes. Suddenly, Kagome felt overwhelmingly tired. Looking at the sky, she figured that it would be dark soon.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to go to sleep, Kagome quickly retrieved her sleeping bag and spread it out on the ground, under a large tree. After saying goodnight to her companions, she quickly got into her sleeping bag and promptly fell asleep.

Sometime during the middle of the night, Kagome suddenly awoke, a feeling of terror clutching at her. For a moment, she was convinced that she was dead and that her friends had abandoned her. However, she suddenly became aware that she wasn't alone.

Standing underneath a tree, right beside her, was Sesshomaru. He was staring out into the forest. She watched him for a second, and jumped visibly when he suddenly spoke.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Kagome nodded, then launched into a description.

"I thought that I was dead and that everybody just left me. Now, I just don't feel like sleeping. I'm tired, but I don't want to feel that way ever again." Sesshomaru said nothing for a few minutes before finally speaking.

"You have nothing to fear. When you died, nobody abandoned you. They fought to protect you and they would do it again. You will not be abandoned." Kagome nodded her understanding.

"I know, but still." She fell silent after that. After a few minutes of silence, she attempted to return to sleep. Unfortunately, as soon as she dozed off, she was awakened once again with the same feeling of terror clutching at her insides.

Sesshomaru noticed this and quietlysighed. Without any warning, he suddenly turned and walked over to Kagome. She looked up at him with questioning eyes. Her expression changed from curiosity to shock when the demon lord suddenly kneeled, then sat on the ground, leaning his back against the tree that she was under.

Reaching out his arm, he motioned for her to come closer. With a little bit of apprehension, she complied and slid, still in her sleeping bag, over to him. Once she was beside him, Kagome was shocked once again when he placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Sleep now, Kagome. Do not fear. I resurrected you once and I'll do it again if I have to. But I doubt that it will come to that. Just know that as long as I am here, you will not be abandoned. I said I would staywith youuntil Naraku was defeated, and I will stick to my promise." With these words of encouragement, Kagome was finally able to fall asleep without any horrible dreams.

* * *

Please review this chapter.

Thank You!


	11. Back to the Future

**Liberate**

**Back to the Future**

Hours later, with the rising of the sun, the rest of the group woke to a strange sight. There was Kagome, sound asleep, and with her head resting on Sesshomaru's side, with his arm draped over her shoulders. Both appeared to be fast asleep.

Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku gaped at the pair in surprise but Inu and Tyral merely smirked. The sight merely confirmed their suspicions that Sesshomaru cared for the mortal girl.

When nobody said anything for a while, Miroku took it upon himself to wake the pair. However, as soon as the monk bent down and started to reach out to shake the two awake, he suddenly found that Sesshomaru was not as unaware as he appeared to be.

The demon lord's clawed hand was suddenly withdrawn from Kagome and wrapped around Miroku's throat. The monk gasped in surprise and attempted to free himself. At that moment, Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open. As soon as he saw the monk who was caught in his grasp, he released him. Miroku quickly backed away from the demon.

Standing up slowly, Sesshomaru proceeded to stretch out his arm. After that, he turned his relentless gaze on the rest of the group. After another minute, Inuyasha spoke up.

"What the hell were you doing?" Although Sesshomaru could have easily ignored his brother's question, he decided to take the opportunity to teach the half breed a lesson.

"I was attempting to help her. It seems that duty has fallen to me now that you have betrayed her. Unlike you, I am not afraid comfort people when they need it." Sesshomaru nearly smirked at the look of anger on Inuyasha's face. He knew it would piss of off the hanyou to be told that he, Sesshomaru, was being kind to a mere mortal.

Further speech was halted because at that moment, Sesshomaru turned from everybody and gently shook Kagome's shoulder until she was awake. She looked at him with blurry eyes for a moment, before smiling widely. Then, quickly getting to her feet, she noticed that everybody was still gathered around, looking at her. She immediately knew that they had seen her and Sesshomaru and blushed lightly.

However, any comments that were about to be spoken were immediately halted when Inu and Sesshomaru suddenly tensed, and then turned to look off into the trees. Sensing that something was wrong, Kagome was about to ask what the problem was, but before she could, the answer to her question suddenly appeared before them.

Although he had changed drastically since they had first seen him in Kanna's mirror, it was undeniable that the demon standing before them was Rasirel. Since they had last seen him, his white hair had grown darker, and his pale skin looked much more substantial than it had before. The biggest change, however, was in his eyes. Where they had once been pure white, they were now a dark shade of blue. All in all, he looked much more real than he had previously appeared. Kagome took this as a sign of his increasing power.

For a moment, everybody just looked at Rasirel, as though waiting for him to make the first move. They weren't left to wait long. But when he did move, it wasn't to fight. Instead, he leaned back against a tree and started to speak.

"Well, what a shock it was to me to find out that my old enemy has returned. Inu, it's been quite a long time." At this, the dog demon growled loudly.

"Not nearly long enough, scum." Rasirel laughed loudly at this.Then, he moved. Before anyone could react, the demon went from leaning comfortably against the tree, to standing directly behind Inu. But instead of attacking the demon, Rasirel merely spoke again.

"As we have been talking, I have been draining you of your demonic auras. Luckily for you, it suits my purposes to leave you all alive for the time being. I suggest that you take some time to regain your strength. You will need it." With that, the demon faded away.

At first, nobody moved. Then, suddenly, Inuyasha collapsed. Kagome looked at him for a moment before recalling Rasirel words, about how he had been silently draining the demonic energy. Surprised, she looked to Sesshomaru for confirmation. However, he showed no signs of being affected.

Next, she looked to Tyral. Although he hid it well, Kagome immediately noticed that his shoulders were slightly slumped and he appeared to be breathing heavily. Suddenly, a string of violent curses flooded the clearing. Kagome whirled around to see Inu angrily cursing.

"Damn it. I should I have been prepared for that sneaky trick. Stupid bastard thinks he can take my energy and live to tell about it, he's got another thing coming." Inu suddenly seemed to become aware of the fact that everybody was staring at him. Shaking his head, he started to speak.

"I forgot about that little ability of his. He can drain demons of their energy and use it to empower himself briefly. He soon loses control of it and it slips away, but while he has it, he can appear as the demon he stole the energy from. In this case, I think he's just trying to show us how powerful he is." Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Well, regardless of how much of a stupid bastard he is, Rasirel's advice is sound. We need to rest for a few days, preferably in a place untouchable by him." Everyone looked around at each other, thinking about a place where they would be safe. Kagome was the first to speak.

"Well, I can return to my own time, but the only other person who can pass through the well is Inuyasha." Kagome expected questions about her words from Inu and Tyral, neither of whom had any clue as to her origins. However, Inu merely smirked.

"Ah yes, the Bone Eater's Well. I assume that you are from the future?" Kagome, immensely shocked, nodded. Inu noticed her expression and merely smirked again.

"Surprised that I know of it. Well, I would know, being one of the beings responsible for it's creation." With this shocking statement, Kagome's jaw dropped. Inu immediately started explaining.

"When I was younger, I often felt the need to get away from my duties. Over time, with the help of some friendly priestesses, I was able to establish a way to access the future. There, I could be free from duty. However, I have never heard of the portal actually being used from the other side by any other than me. Luckily though, this is good news. Any of my bloodline can pass through the well. And Tyral, since he has his sword that contains a piece of me, should be able to pass as well." Kagome merely nodded, still shocked that the creator of the well was none other than Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father.

With that settled, it was quickly decided that Kagome, Sesshomaru, Inu, and Tyral would go to her time, and Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kilala would remain in Kaede's village. After all, they humans and the half demon were nowhere near as important as the demon lords in the overall picture. As much as it hurt Kagome to think about it, none of her original friends were going to be much of an impact in the upcoming battle. It would fall to Sesshomaru, Tyral, Inu, and Naraku to actually combat Rasirel.

With no further hesitation, the group set off, back towards Kaede's village and the well. Once again, Kagome traveled with Sesshomaru. Although she was now used to be carried by him, she still blushed when he picked her up into his arms and took off into the air.

It seemed like it took no time at all to travel back to their destination. After saying a quick goodbye to Miroku, Kagome and the other three quickly traveled to the well. When they got to it, Inu halted and looked at it for a few moments. He seemed to be reliving some good memories. After a minute though, he shook himself and jumped in. Tyral followed suit. Kagome and Sesshomaru followed silently.

The familiar blue light surrounded Kagome, and in no time, she was standing at the bottom of her rather crowded well, looking up at the wooden roof of the well house. Then, Inu spoke.

"Last time I was here, this well still opened up to the sky. Now, it is encased in some structure. I guess the world has changed in eighty-five years." Kagome assumed that this meant that the well always transported forward or back by 500 years. That meant that the last time that Inu had crossed over was eighty-five years ago, fifteen years before Inuyasha's birth. It also meant that the future that he had last visited was probably somewhere around the year 1920.

"Uh, before you guys go out there, I have to warn you. The air is probably going to smell horrible. So, breath cautiously." Inu and Sesshomaru nodded, but Tyral merely shrugged.

"I'm not worried. Unlike these mutts here, my sense of smell is pretty average. I doubt dirty air will affect my senses." Kagome nodded, figuring that as a dragon, Tyral probably relied on senses other than smell.

With that all said, all four climbed out of the well and exited the well house. Although their expressions remained neutral, upon stepping out into the air, it was obvious to Kagome that Inu and Sesshomaru were disgusted by the smell of the air.

Moving as quickly as possible, they crossed the yard and entered Kagome's house. Once inside, Kagome heard her mother humming in the kitchen and motioned for the three demons to follow her. They did so, although the bulky size of all three made the little hallway from the door to the kitchen quite crowded.

As soon as Kagome entered the kitchen, her mother turned around, and smiled joyously. Rushing forward, the two females embraced each other, happy to see each other. However, their moment was cut short when Kagome pulled back and nervously cleared her throat. Her mother, Miya, recognized the signs of her daughter wanting to say something important and immediately fell silent.

"Um, mom, I brought some friends back with me this time. They needed some time to prepare for an upcoming battle and this was safest place." Miya nodded, assuming that her daughter meant some more people like Inuyasha, slightly rude, but likeable.

However, at that moment, Kagome moved aside and allowed her three companions to enter the room. Miya's eyes widened at the sight of the three demon lords. They were an impressive sight. Both Sesshomaru and Inu were both very close to seven feet tall, and Tyral was only a few inches shorter. They were all dressed in outlandish clothing and armour. Then, there were the markings. And Tyral crimson eyes. All in all, they were quite the intimidating and scary sight.

Luckily, Miya was a stable woman, and she knew that if Kagome trusted the fearsome men, they would surely do her or her family no harm. Her fears were pushed even farther away when Inu spoke.

"We mean no harm to anyone here, good woman. We merely seek a place to prepare. Trust me, you will not even notice that we are herem what with our good manners." Miya smiled, and Kagome let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried that her mother might not allow that scary demons to stay.

With that settled, Kagome turned and led her guests to the living room to sit down. Inu immediately settled down on the couch, while Tyral sank into a chair. Sesshomaru opted to remain standing. Kagome turned on the television for them and went upstairs to take a shower.

As she stood under the hot water, Kagome wondered where her brother and grandfather were. Normally, they were there to greet her as soon as she returned. Then she realized that Souta was at school, and her grandfather was probably out shopping for trinkets with "magical" properties. Then, she realized that while the demons at her house would need proper clothing. It wouldn't be good for the already suspicious looking men to be walking around wearing old fashioned clothes, armour, and swords. She decided to get her mother to go out and but some proper clothing for them.

With that settled, she finished her shower and dressed. Going downstairs, she paused long enough to see Inu and Tyral watching the television with amazement. Sesshomaru remained expressionless, but he was slowly moving around the room, picking up random objects and studying them closely.

Continuing on to the kitchen, Kagome politely asked her mother to go shopping for some suitable clothing. Taking a quick look at each demon, Miya judged their size, then set off. Luckliy, she had always been a good judge and when she returned, less than hour later, all of the clothes appeared to be the appropriate size.

However, a problem arose before any of the clothes were even put on. All three demon stated that they would not relinquish their weapons. Sighing heavily, Kagome proceeded to explain that it was not normal for people to walk around with swords in this day and age. After a few minutes, they finally agreed to remove the swords for the time being.

With that settled, Inu decided to go first. He grabbed some clothes and went upstairs, to change in the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he came down stairs, dressed in a pair of loose-fitting blue jeans and black t-shirt. They fit him well. While in the bathroom, he had apparently sliced off some of his hair as well. Now, it only fell to his mid back, instead of below his waist.

Nodding in approval, Kagome and her mother handed Tyral some clothing and he went upstairs next. In no time, he was back, dressed in black jeans and a white t-shirt, covered by an unbottoned black shirt. It went well with his shoulderlength black hair.

Sesshomaru was next. He reluctantly took the remaining clothing and went upstairs. He was back very quickly. He was wearing a pair of loose fitting black pants and a black t-shirt. He appeared comfortable enough, and Kagome thought that he looked pretty good.

Looking at all of them, Kagome decided that the modern clothing fit all of them well. The new clothes made it glaringly obvious that all three demons had some serious muscles. Kagome was saved the embarrassment of being caught staring by the sound of the door opening and then voices.

Souta suddenly shouted. "Mom, I'm home from school and some of Kagome's friends came with me." The boy bypassed the living room without even looking and went upstairs. Kagome, however, had frozen as soon as her brother had said that some of her friends were there. Before she could even react, they were suddenly in the living room. Eri, Yuka, Ayumi, and Hojo.

As soon as the four entered the room, their jaws dropped. Although they were dressed in modern clothing, all three demons still had their markings. Kagome was the first to speak.  
"Um, hi huys. I'd like you to meet my friends. This is Inu, this is Ty, and this is Sess." She abbreviated their names so they wouldn't sound so weird.

All four human friends nodded, all intimidated by the strange looking men. Finally, Inu spoke up.

"Kagome, perhaps you would like to explain us to your friends." Kagome nodded, her mind working quickly to come up with a reasom for their strange appearances.

"Uh, well, I met these guys while vacationing in, uh, America. I stayed at the hotel they own. We became friends and when I heard that they were coming here, I invited them to stay. Any particlar reason why you guys are here?" Kagome changed the subject quickly and waited for a response. Hojo spoke up.

"Well, I wanted to know if you were well enough to come to the movies with me on Saturday." Kagome responded immediately, and failed to hear the low growl that emitted from Sesshomaru's mouth. Inu, however, did hear it and he smirked to himself.

"Uh, sorry Hojo. I can't. I'm going to America with them for a few weeks. I won't be here on Saturday. But we are all going out to dinner tomorrow night. You guys can come if you want." All of them agreed, and then set off, promising to meet them the next day.

Kagome sighed and returned to the three demons, silently wondering how she would live the next few days with the attention drawing demon lords.

* * *

Sorry for the wait. I had some shit to take care of. I'll be updating more regularily from now on. 


	12. Visiting School

**Liberate**

**Visiting School**

The rest of the day passed without problem. Until dinnertime. As soon as her mother mentioned food, Kagome immediately started wondering what exactly the three demons ate. Being dogs and a dragon, she assumed that they ate meat. When she asked them, Inu merely chuckled.

"We do not need food very often. We will be fine." Kagome felt assured by his words, and nodded. Then, as she was about to go eat, her mother told her to tell the demons to come sit at the kitchen table. If they weren't going to eat, at least they could drink something.

After talking to them for a few moments, Kagome turned and lead the way to the table. After all three sat down, it became quite obvious to Kagome just how large all three of them were. There was not much room left around the table. After she sat down, Miya told Kagome to go get her brother and grandfather. Kagome went to get them, a little apprehensive inside. Neither her grandpa or brother had seen the demons yet, and she wasn't sure how they would react.

After getting them, once again she led the way to the kitchen. Upon entering, Souta's eyes widened and he stared. Kagome's grandfather, however, reacted differently.

"Demons!" Yelling this, the old man reached into his pocket and withdrew some sutras. However, before he could do anything, the small papers were yanked out of his hand by Kagome.

"Stop it, grandpa. These are friendly demons." The old man snorted, but he trusted his granddaughter. Muttering to himself, he went to the table and sat as far away from the demons as possible.

Souta meanwhile, had approached the three demons and was studying them closely. Eventually, he started asking questions.

"Who are you guys?" Kagome answered this one quickly.

"The one on the end is Inu. He's Inuyasha's father and the former Lord of the Western Lands. The one beside him is Tyral, his adopted son. Tyral is the Lord of the Eastern Lands. And the last one is Sesshomaru. He's the Lord of the Western and Southern Lands." After saying this, Kagome's grandfather spoke, surprising his family.

"I've heard about you demons. I read somewhere that you were cold blooded killers who hate humans." Tyral spoke then.

"That is incorrect. The only demon here who ever hated humans was Sesshomaru. And we aren't cold blooded killers. I haven't slaughtered any humans in centuries." This was greeted by silence from everybody. Finally, Sesshomaru spoke.

"Do not fear, human. We will not harm anybody while here. We are merely here to prepare for the coming battle." After that, the rest of dinner passed in silence, thankfully.

This gave Kagome time to think about what she had told her friends. She had said that they were all going out for dinner the next night. She had said this knowing that she might as well bring her companions around the city, because even if she refused to show them around, they would probably just go anyways. This way, at least she would be with them.

The rest of the night passed well enough. At around ten, Kagome decided to go to bed. At first, she was slightly worried wondering where the three demons would sleep. However, Inu quickly assured her that they didn't need as much sleep as humans. Reassured, Kagome went up to her room and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, after taking a quick shower and getting dressed, Kagome went downstairs only to find the living room empty. She felt a moment of panic before the sound of people yelling reached her ears. Taking a quick look around, she quickly exited the house and made her way around to the backyard.

The sight that greeted her eyes was both intimidating and entertaining. Inu and Tyral were sparring in the middle of the yard. Souta, Sesshomaru, and Miya were standing on the sidelines, and Souta was shouting loudly, obviously highly entertained by the show.

As they all watched, Inu and Tyral moved around each other, lashing out with their claws frequently. Due to the high skill and speed of both demons, neither had a scratch on them. However, in an impressive display of speed, Tyral's clawed hand suddenly shot out and wrapped around the throat of Inu.

However, before he could act upon his sudden advantage, Tyral suddenly found himself flying backwards through the air, propelled from a heavy kick to the stomach by Inu. Landing lightly on his feet, the dragon demon grinned and bowed his head.

"Alright, old man. You were right. You've still got some skill." Inu grinned as well and walked over to his adopted son.

"Don't feel bad, Tyral. No dragon could ever beat a dog demon. It's just not possible." Both laughed at this and then turned and went to stand beside Sesshomaru. Inu then turned to Kagome.

"Well, what are we going to do today?" Kagome had no idea. After thinking for a moment, she decided that it would be best if she started introducing them to the city. She told them this.

"Well, I think that you guys should just hang around here for today, and tonight, we'll all go out to dinner with my friends. As for me, I'm going to go to school." At the mention of her friends, Sesshomaru let out a barely audible growl. Luckily, only Inu noticed, and he smirked upon hearing it.

With that settled, Kagome and her family went inside for breakfast, leaving the three demons outside. As soon as the humans entered the house, Inu turned to Sesshomaru with a huge grin on his face. Sesshomaru looked at him without expression, waiting for the inevitable jokes.

"You know, I never would have guessed that you would develop feelings for a human. It is terribly ironic." Sesshomaru contemplated denying the accusations, but realized the futility in that. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders.

Inu's eyes widened at the lack of argument from his son. He had expected a violent denial, but Sesshomaru had merely shrugged. Inu looked at Tyral and the two started laughing once again.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Kagome had finished breakfast and quickly made her way back outside, heading to the back of the house. However, just as she was about to go into theback yard, she heard raised voices and paused to listen. She immediately recognized the hissing quality of Tyral's voice, and the deep voice of Inu.

"You know what's really funny about all of this?" She heard Inu say this. Tyral replied immediately.

"Yeah. The great and powerful Sesshomaru is too much of a coward to tell her how he feels." This was met with a loud growl. Apparently, Sesshomary had put up with enough teasing and decided to shut his father and brother up forcefully.

This gave Kagome time to think over what they had said. From what she could piece together, Sesshomaru had feelings for some girl, but he wouldn't say anything. For some unknown reason, Kagome felt a stab of jealousy run through her when she thought about Sesshomaru with some unknown woman.

However, as soon as she felt this, she immediately blushed and shook her head violently. She firmly believed that Sesshomaru would never stoop so low as to enter a relationship with a human. With this thought firmly entrenched in her mind, Kagome quickly entered the backyard, to be greeted by the sight of a pissed off Sesshomaru grasping both his brother and father by their necks.

As soon as they noticed Kagome standing there, both Inu and Tyral pulled themselves from Sesshomaru's grip and turned to her. Sesshomaru merely turned and stared at her in his normal, expressionless way.

"Well guys, I have to go to school now. I'll see you all this afternoon. Please stay in the yard or the house. Don't venture off and don't kill anything." The last remark seemed to be directed more at Sesshomaru, so he nodded.

With all that said, Kagome quickly picked up her school books and took off, leaving all three demons alone in the yard. As she rushed towards school, Kagome hoped that the demons would follow her instructions. She really didn't want anybody to get killed.

Upon reaching school, Kagome was immediately mobbed by her friends; Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. They all immediately started bombarding her with questions.

"What, exactly, is your relationship with those guys? Are you dating any of them?"

"What's with the red eyes?"

"Are those tattoos?"

Kagome took all of these questions in and attempted to answer each one.

"I told you already, they are my friends from America. Ty's eyes are red because he was born that way. It's rare but it does happen. And those markings are a kind of family tradition thing. They are given at birth and last their entire life." These were all lies of course, but they weren't to far from the truth.

Just as they started on another round of questions, the bell rang, signalling the start of the school day. With that dreadful sound, all four girls set of for class, dooming Kagome to a day of hard schoolwork and annoying questions from her friends.

Meanwhile, back at Kagome's house, as Kagome was working through the day, the three demon lounged around the house, all extremely bored. Finally, sometime after lunch, Miya took pity on the three and quickly approached them with an idea.

"I need to go out to the store for a few things. Would you like to accompany me?" This was greeted with contemplative silence. After a moment, Inu spoke.  
"Kagome warned us not to leave here, but since we will be with an intelligent woman such as yourself, I see no harm in it. It is surely better than laying around for hours." With that settled, all three demons set of down the sidewalk, accompanied by the much smaller form of Kagome's mother.

After walking for about twenty minutes, in which time, the demons learned what a car was, they arrived at a small grocery store. Upon entering, they were greeted by the intimidated eyes of the store owner. It wasn't every day that you saw three large men, all well over six feet, in Japan.

As Miya wandered around the store, picking up things to buy, all three demons looked around at all of the strange food. After a half an hour, she was done and, after paying for her purchases, Miya led the demons out of the store, onto the sidewalk.

As they walked down the sidewalk, all three demons were met with the admiring gazes of women and the jealous gazes of men. Inu and Tyral found these immensely funny and roared with laughter. Even Sesshomaru almost smirked. However, he caught himself just in time.

At that moment, Sesshomaru caught the scent of Kagome mixed in with the disgusting smells of the city. Without a moment's hesitation, he silently slipped away from the other three and followed Kagome's scent.

When Miya realized that Sesshomaru had gone missing, she started to panic. However, Inu quickly stepped up and calmed her down.

"Don't worry. My son may be vicious and heartless killer, but he isn't stupid. He wouldn't just start killing humans on the street. Hopefully not, anyway." The last part was muttered and Miya didn't hear it. Tyral, however, did hear it.

"I'll go track him down." At this, Miya looked at him in surprise.

"I thought you were a dragon demon. You're sense of smell can't be that good, can it?" Tyral merely laughed at that.

"You're right, but I have other senses. I can see people's heat signatures, like a snake. Demon's happen to have a much higher body temperature than humans. I'll be able to see him." Miya and Inu nodded an agreement and watched as Tyral turned and made his way back down the street. Without further interruption, Inu and Miya quickly made their way back to the house to await the return of their children.

Between the time that Sesshomaru had left and Tyral had set of after him, Sesshomaru had followed Kagome's scent to her school. Just as he made it to the building, a loud bell rang and a multitude of humans came running out of the door, slightly startling Sesshomaru.

However, he quickly recognized Kagome scent among the rest and made his way over to her. This went unnoticed by her, due to the fact that her back was turned to him. She was conversing with her friends. As he neared her, he overheard a part of her conversation.

"Well, he certainly is attractive. The tattoos are cool, and I like his hair, and his eyes are pretty. And he has helped me through some tough situations." Sesshomaru immediately knew that she was speaking of him. Smirking slightly, he walked right up behind her and spoke.

"It appears that no matter where you go, the subject of talk always comes back to me." Kagome whirled around at the sound of his cold voice. She was immensely surprised to catch the slight amusement buried in his tone.

Her attention was torn from the demon in front of her when she felt immense demonic energy suddenly rush toward them. Sesshomaru smirked at her shocked look and merely pointed behind her. Turning around, she came face to chest with Tyral. He had managed to position himself directly in between her and her friends.

Jumping back in surprise, she shot him an angry look, causing him to grin. "Sorry, but I couldn't resist." Kagome glared at him for another minute, then realized that her friends were staring at Tyral. Eri spoke first.

"How did you do that? You weren't here a second ago." Tyral turned and grinned at her.

"Magic." After saying this, he laughed loudly, unintentionally exposing his rather large fangs. The three girls stepped back in shock at this sight.

However, before they could ask any questions, Kagome suddenly realized that she was standing beside two demons that she had specifically told to saty home. "I thought I told you two to stay at my house." Tyral shrugged at this.

"Your mother brought us all to the store with her, and on the way back, dumbass here decided to take off. I came to make sure he didn't kill anybody." Sesshomaru suddenly moved. Reaching out, he grabbed his brother by the throat and pulled him until they were face to face.

"Watch your tongue, lizard. I am not as soft as father. I will not hesitate to injure you." Kagome watched this cautiously, not sure what had happened. From what she could tell, Sesshomaru had taken offence at being called a dumbass.

Luckily, Tyral didn't press the issue and Sesshomaru released him. Meanwhile, Kagome's friends had been watching this silently. They had assumed that Tyral had been kidding when he said that he came to make sure that Sesshomaru didn't kill anyone. But then Sesshomaru had physically threatened Tyral because of a stupid name. The three girls were both intrigued and worried about Kagome's new friends.

Kagome took the moment of peace as a chance to speak to her friends. "Alright, tonight, we'll meet you at Seven. Be there around eight. It'll will just be me, Sess, Ty, Inu, you guys, and Hojo." Seven was the name of a fancy restaurant in the city. The girls all nodded and turned to leave.

However, before the could escape, Sesshomaru's cold voice cut through the air. "Kagome's friends, tell the male, Hojo, to bathe. He stinks." With that, Sesshomaru turned and walked off, leaving a shocked Kagome and an loudly laughing Tyral to stand there.

As she and Tyral followed after Sesshomaru rapidly walking form, Kagome silently wondered what kind of chaos was going to errupt at dinner.

* * *

Review. 


	13. Confession

**Liberate**

**Confession**

After arriving home with no more difficulties, Kagome went upstairs to do her homework, leaving Inu to speak to Sesshomaru and Tyral.

"Why did you leave this afternoon?" When Sesshomaru didn't respond to the question, Tyral took it upon himself to answer in his place.

"I found him at Kagome's school. He went to find her." Inu nodded in understanding and smirked. He recognized the signs that his son was exhibiting. He was clearly smitten with the girl. Beckoning silently to Tyral, the two left the room, leaving Sesshomaru by himself.

As soon as Inu and Tyral were out of Sesshomaru's hearing range, Inu turned to Tyral and began to speak. "It is quite obvious to me that Sesshomaru cares deeply for Kagome. It is also obvious to me that Sesshomaru would rather die than admit this to her. Knowing my son as well as I do, I think that it would be best if we helped him along a little." Tyral nodded in agreement.

"You're right. He'll never do anything unless we force his hand. I think tonight, during dinner, we'll be the perfect opportunity." Both demons looked at each other seriously for a moment before laughing uproariously.

From the other room, Sesshomaru caught their laughter and momentarily considered approaching them for an explanation. However, after a moments contemplation, he decided against this and instead decided to explore the house. Although they had already been at the house for over a day, he had only been to the kitchen, the livingroom, and the bathroom, to change his clothes.

Quickly exiting the livingroom, he made his way to the stairs. After climbing to the top, he looked around slowly, noticing that there were four different doorways opening onto the main hallway. He already knew which one was the bathroom, so he investigated the other three.

Making his way to the first door, he pushed it open quietly and was greeted with the scent of Kagome's little brother. This room was quite messy, with clothes and other objects scattered all over the floor and the walls were a dark blue in colour. After taking all this in, Sesshomaru quietly backed out of the room, closing the door as he left. Then, he moved to the next door and quietly entered this one as well.

From the scent, he judged this room to belong to Kagome's mother. This one was much cleaner than the previous room and the walls were white in colour. Deciding that it wouldn't be proper to snoop in this room, Sesshomaru left, closing the door behind him and heading towards the last door.

He already knew, from the scent and the sound of a pen scratching against paper coming from within, that this was Kagome's room. Without hesitating, he opened the door and entered the room. Kagome, seated at a desk and absorbed in her work, didn't even notice Sesshomaru's arrival.

Looking around silently, Sesshomaru took in the slightly cluttered room and the pink walls. When Kagome said nothing to him, he figured that she hadn't realized that he was there yet, so he went and seated himself on her bed.

After a few minutes, Kagome suddenly realized that she wasn't alone. Sitting up straight, she quickly whirled around in her chair and was greeted by the sight of Sesshomaru, sitting on the edge of her bed and watching her quietly.

Although she was slightly startled, she didn't let it on. "Did you want something, Sesshomaru?" He appeared to be pondering the question before answering.

"What is your relationship with Hojo." To say that Kagome was shocked would be an understatement. She briefly considered asking Sesshomaru why he wanted to know, but decided to answer truthfully instead.

"I've known him for years and he's always liked me. I've never given him any encouragement, but he's always been under the impression that I like him. I don't though." At this, Sesshomaru nodded slightly, then rose and exited the room, leaving Kagome to ponder his odd behavior.

Sesshomaru, after leaving Kagome, made his way back downstairs towards the sound of his brother and father talking loudly. When he got to them, they glanced at him silently for a moment, then returned to their own conversation, ignoring him completely.

This went on for a few hours. Finally, Kagome came back downstairs, and told everyone that they would have to leave soon if they wanted to get to the restaurant by 8:00. With that said, she went back upstairs to take a shower and change clothes.

After another fifteen minutes, she came back downstairs. She had changed into a black skirt and and a dark blue t-shirt. As she walked down the stairs, she noticed that all three demons were waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

When she greeted them, they turned to her. Inu spoke first.

"Well, I suppose we should be off then." Kagome nodded and all three quickly left the house and set off down the street, walking quickly towards their destination. Luckily, the restaurant was only a twenty minute walk away from Kagome's house.

The four walked in silence through the fading light. Kagome kept sneaking sideways glances at Sesshomaru, still slightly puzzled by hs earlier actions.

Inu noticed her looking at Sesshomaru out of the corner of her eye and elbowed Tyral, pointing it out to him. Both demons watched this for a few moments before bursting out laughing. Kagome turned to them with a look of curiosity on her face, but Inu and Tyral said nothing. After a minute, Kagome returned to her previous passtime.

After a few more minutes, they had arrived at the front doors of Seven, the restaurant. As they were led inside, to a table, Kagome looked around and realized that the place was nearly empty. There were only a few table that were occupied.

At this sight, Kagome let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried that the place would be crowded and everybody would be looking at them all night. Looking at the few patrons that were there, she noticed a common theme; all were dressed in suits and fancy dresses.

Looking at her own less than perfect attire and her companions casual jeans and t-shirts, she momentarily felt out of place, but when she caught sight of her friends in the back, she was relieved.

All of them, excluding Hojo, were dressed in casual clothes. Hojo, on the other hand, was wearing a dark blue suit. He looked out of place surrounded by all of the casually dressed girls.

When Kagome and the three demons finally reached the others, the al quickly sat down. Sesshomaru sat in the closest chair, which just happened to be located right beside Kagome's chair.

Hojo noticed that the chair on the other side of Kagome was unoccupied, but when he started to make his way towards it, Tyral promptly sat down there. Hojo shot him a brief look of anger, which was met by a mocking grin, which exposed his large fangs. After that, Hojo merely plopped down into the nearest chair, directly across from Sesshomaru, and avoided looking at Tyral.

All of this went unnoticed, except by Inu, who nodded approvingly at his son. Meanwhile, Kagome had started conversing with her friends, making up stories as to why she hadn't been around for a while. Sesshomaru listened to her lies with masked amusement.

At that moment, the waiter came to collect their order. After they ordered, they sat in silence, waiting for the food. Hojo finally spoke.

"Why didn't you guys order anything." Tyral answered quickly.

"We don't eat very much." Hojo looked at the three large men in amazement, but remained didn't voice his disbelief. Fianlly, after some uncomfortable silence, the food arrived and they dug in hungrily.

After the food was all cleared away, Kagome once again started chatting away with her friends. Eventually, the conversation turned to Tyral, Inu, and Sesshomaru. It was inevitable. Eri spoke first.

"You know, Inu and Sess look a lot like your old boyfriend, that Inuyasha guy." Kagome flinched at this. She had forgotten that Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka had met Inuyasha before. She knew that she couldn't refuse to answer questions, so she sighed and started talking.

"Yeah, Sess and Tyral are Inuyasha's older brother and Inu is their father." At this, the girl's looked at Inu in surprise. He hardly looked old enough to have three fully grown sons.

"How come Inuyasha doesn't have tattoos like these guys." Kagome started to speak at this, but Sesshomaru interrupted her.

"He is not a full member of this family. He does not deserve to wear the markings of our line." He spoke with such conviction that it startled all of the humans at the table. After this, they decided that it would be best to refrain from asking questions about Inuyasha.

However, Hojo, being a real dumbass, decided to press on. He had heard about Inuyasha from the three girls and had been eager to meet Kagome's alleged "boyfriend". "What happened between you and Inuyasha?"

Kagome face darkened at this. As much as she was over Inuyasha, it still hurt her to think about his betrayal. Sesshomaru noticed the look on her face and growled lowly. "Watch your mouth." Hojo looked at Sesshomaru with contempt on his face.

"I wasn't talking to you. Mind your own business." Kagome cringed at that. She knew that Sesshomaru could only be pushed so far before he injured someone. It was obvious to her that being ordered around be a human would be one of the things that would set him off. She was right.

Immediately, Sesshomaru stood up. Drawing himself up to his full height, he glared down at the boy before him. Hojo cringed in fear as he started to speak. "Watch yourself human. I could kill you in an instant, and I will not hesitate to do so."

Kagome quickly looked around, hoping that the outburst had not been noticed and that Hojo would just shut up before he got himself killed. Unfortunately, in both cases her hope was in vain.

Everybody was looking at them like they were crazy, and Hojo seemed to have picked the worst time to grow a spine. Standing up, he attempted to glare back into Sesshomaru's face. Unfortunately for him, he ended up looking ridiculous.

Not only was he considerably shorter and smaller than Sesshomaru, but he also was a large amount less intimidating. All he could do was look angry, while Sesshomru had started emitting vicious growls, and had opened his mouth to expose his fangs.

Meanwhile, Inu and Tyral were leaning back in their chairs, grinning expectantly. They knew that Sesshomaru would attempt to calm himself down. He wouldn't want to kill the human in front of Kagome. It would probably upset her. But they knew that soon, the perfect chance to get Sesshomaru to reveal his feelings for Kagome would occur.

On the other side of the table, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi also watched with apprehension. Although Hojo had seemed to not notice, they had all picked up on what Sesshomaru had said. He had called Hojo human, thus implying that he himelf wasn't human. Looking at his fangs, and hearing his growls, they were struck by the sudden realization that maybe Kagome's new friends were not human. They were halted from further contemplation, however, by Hojo. He had moved around the table and was now standing directly in front of Sesshomaru.

"You can't kill me. You would be in jail so fast. So why don't you sit down and mind your own business. I was talking to Kagome about her old boyfriend, not you." At this, Sesshomaru clawed hand shot out and wrapped around Hojo's throat.

"Do not speak to me as if you are better than me. You are nothing but an insignificant human who is meddling in affairs that do not concern him." By now, Hojo was shaking with anger and fear. He managed to wriggle out of Sesshomaru's grasp and started to yell at him.

"Listen here, I've known Kagome for a long time and I love her. It is my business what she's doing. I've no doubt that she broke up with that Inuyasha guy so that she could be with me." At this, Inu and Tyral stood up and moved to Sesshomaru's side.

Leaning forward, Inu starting speaking so that only Sesshomaru could hear. "Are you going to take that from a mere human. He's trying to make a move on the girl you care for." Tyral also spoke.

"You'd better set him straight before he tries to take her away from you. Tell him now." In his rage, Sesshomaru didn't recognize his family member's voices. All he heard was voices telling him to tell Hojo to back off from what would be his, and he followed their commands.

"You shall not come near her. She is not yours and she never will be. She will be mine." At this, Kagome's eyes widened. She knew that Sesshomaru was in a rage and didn't realize what he was saying, but still.

As she thought about this, she thought back to the conversation she had heard earlier that day, between Sesshomaru, Tyral, and Inu. She had assumed that they were talking about some girl from the Feudal Era that Sesshomaru cared for. But now she realized that they were talking about her.

Further thoughts were halted when Hojo spoke again. "It is obvious to me that Kagome loves me and she will come with me. Not you." When Hojo said this, Kagome immediately knew that he was dead. She knew that Inuyoukai were extremely possessive and Hojo had basically just told Sesshomaru that he would take Kagome away.

Growling viciously, his eyes now crimson, the enraged Sesshomaru grabbed Hojo by his neck again and lifted from the floor. Hojo seemed to suddnly realize Sesshomaru strange features, but before he could say anything, he was hurled at a nearby table.

He hit it with a loud bang, and crashed through it, onto the floor. Kagome heard him groan loudly in pain, but she couldn't get herself to feel any pity for him. He should have backed down. It was quite obvious that he was overmatched.

As everyone looked on, Sesshomaru calmly walked over to crash site. As he bent down to pick up Hojo, he was hit in the head by a plate that Hojo had been holding. Although he wasn't injured, it caught him off guard and he took a step back. Hojo took this opportubity to try to run out the door.

Unfortunately for Hojo, he never made it. When he took off, Tyral immediately went after him, disappearing, then reappearing directly in front of the fleeing human. "You started this, human. You might as well stay to the end." Reaching out, Tyral gave Hojo a rough push, which propelled him back towards Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru, angered by being smashed over the head with a plate, decided to end it quickly. Reaching out, he brought his claws out in a slashing motion, ripping Hojo's throat out and killing him immediately. As he stood there with his claws dripping blood, his rage slowly faded, returning his eyes to their regular goldern colour.

Everybody, except for Inu, Tyral, and Kagome, were looking at Sesshomaru in fear.Looking up, he noticed this and turned his head to look at Kagome. She was looking at him with an unreadable expression. At this, he suddenly jumped directly up, propelling himself through the roof and into the night air.

Everybody looked at the hole in the roof for a few seconds, until Inu and Tyral suddenly got up. They moved over to the hole, then looked at Kagome, waiting for her to join them. Getting up, she turned to her friends.

"I'm sorry, but I can't explain. I'm sorry about Hojo too, but he should have stopped. Bye." With that, she made her way over to Tyral and Inu and indicated that it was time to leave. Tyral got down on his knees and motioned for her to get on his back.

With that accomplished, the two demon kicked off, soaring through the large hole and into the night sky, leaving behind a restaurant full of shocked people and one bloody corpse.

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	14. The Present and the Past

**Liberate**

**The Present and the Past**

As soon as they cleared the roof of the restaurant, Inu turned and flew off in a northward direction. Kagome assumed that he was following Sesshomaru's scent. Tyral immediately took off after Inu, and the two demons increased their speed, almost knocking Kagome off of Tyral's broad back.

Leaning down closer to Tyral to avoid the rushing wind, Kagome took the opportunity to question the dragon demon about Sesshomaru's earlier words. However, just as she opened her mouth to speak, Tyral interrupted her.

"Whatever questions you may have, they should wait until you can speak to Sesshomaru. It is not my place to become tell you anything." At that moment, both Tyral and Inu suddenly stopped dead in the air.

From the way they tensed up, Kagome figured that there must be something dangerous nearby. Then, she remembered that they were in her era. She quickly asked what was wrong.

"Can you not feel it? I thought you had spiritual powers." Inu words puzzled Kagome, so she fell silent and tried to concentrate. Immediately, she felt two immense powers fighting somewhere on the otherside of town. One was Sesshomaru, but she couldn't identify the other, although it seemed familiar.

"Sesshomaru is using a large amount of power. I had no idea that demons that could force him to use so much energy still existed in this time." Inu's words made sense to Kagome. She had never felt any powerful demons in her own time.

The three pondered this for a moment before they realized that perhaps Sesshomaru could use their aid. Just as Kagome was about to suggest that they go to him, she realized that they were landing. As she opened her mouth to protest, Tyral spoke.

"We will travel much faster in our true forms." Kagome nodded in understanding, silently praying that nobody would look up and notice the demons flying above the city. As soon as they landed, Kagome slid off of Tyral's back and retreated away from the two, giving them room to transform.

Inu immediately started. His eyes turned crimson and his hair started fluttering around, blown by an invisible wind. Kagome's eyes widened as she felt his power grow as he transformed. As she watched, his face elongated and became covered in white fur. As he suddenly hunched over, he started to grow. Before long, he was entirely covered in white fur and was still growing. Eventually, in Inu's place stood a gigantic white dog, larger even than Sesshomaru's true form. Kagome vividly remembered that only time she had seen that and it still brought fear to her heart.

Looking from Inu to Tyral, Kagome was surprised to see that he had leapt back into the air. Suddenly, she realized that his true form, as a dragon demon, would most likely have wings. As she watched, Tyral's skin turned completely black, and his face started to elongate, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp fangs.

As he grew larger, batlike wings suddenly burst from his shoulder, and spread out wide. A wide tail suddenly sprouted from his lower back, and fell to hang down almost to the ground. Looking back at his head, Kagome watched as red horns made a sudden appearance on the top of his head. All through this, Tyral had continued to grow, until he was as large as Inu. He stayed relatively still in the air, lightly flapping his huge wings to remain aloft.

After a few seconds, Kagome realized that they were waiting for her. Walking forward, she hesitated until finally Tyral reach down with one huge hand and gently lifted her up so the she could clamber onto his back once again.

With that settled, the three took off in the direction of the massive demonic auras. At first, Kagome had trouble finding a comfortable spot on Tyral's hard scales, but eventually her mind was distracted when she suddenly realized something. She decided to voice her revelation.

"They aren't fighting. Sesshomaru and the other demon aren't fighting. It's almost like they were comparing their power." Tyral gave a loud hiss, which Kagome took as a sign of agreement. She was shocked only seconds later when she heard a deep voice in her head.

"I believe you are right, Kagome. It appears as though Sesshomaru is merely speaking with this new demon." When Inu spoke to Kagome in her head, he nearly fell off of Tyral. She had no idea that they could actually speak in their true forms.

At that moment, Tyral and Inu started to descend. Kagome looked down and caught a brief glimpse of Sesshomaru leaning agaisnt a tree, casually peering up at the descending forms of his father and brother.

As soon as they landed, Tyral and Inu reverted to their humanoid forms. This deposited Kagome on the ground right behind Tyral. Immediately, she got to her feet and walked towards Sesshomaru. She was distracted however, when she heard a familiar voice suddenly speak.

"I haven't seen any of you for five hundred years. I brings back very unpleasant memories." This startled Kagome, because she was sure that the voice that had spoken was Sesshomaru, yet his lips had not moved. A sudden movement drew her attention to a spot beside Sesshomaru that was shrouded in shadows.

As she looked on, the mysterious stepped forward, revealing himself to everyone's gaze. At first, Kagome was puzzled by the stranger's insinuation that he knew them. As her eyes took in his form, which was clothed in black boots, and a black suit with a gray shirt, she saw nothing familiar about him.

Even as she looked at his head, nothing struck her as odd. He had short, rather spiky hair, and was wearing a pair of black sunglasses. This struck her as slightly weird, as it was night. However, it was only when a cloud moved, allowing a star to shine down directly onto him that she realized who it was.

The light revealed the fact that the stranger's hair was silver, and that a blue crescent moon adorned his forehead. Kagome gasped and stepped back, causing both Sesshomaru's to smirk slightly.

"What's going on here? What kind of trick is this?" Inu's loud questions jarred everyone back to reality. The new Sesshomaru stepped forward and spoke to Inu immediately.

"This is no trick. I am Sesshomaru, five hundred years older. When I felt my own demonic aura flare up earlier, I came to investigate." Inu nodded in understanding and everybody stood in silence, looking at Sesshomaru. Finally, Kagome spoke up, in a cheery voice.

"Well, if you are alive today, that's good news. It means that in the past, we defeated Rasirel." As soon as this was said, Sesshomaru's aura began to give off a feeling of immense anger, tinged with a bit of sadness. At this, everybody looked at him with surprise. After a few moments, he spoke.

"No, we did not defeat Rasirel. When it came down to the final battle, we were betrayed." At this, Kagome spoke up again.

"I knew it. We should have never trusted Naraku." However, she was interrupted by Sesshomaru.

"No. He kept his word and was prepared to fight. No, it was Inuyasha who betrayed us." At this statement, everybody gasped in shock. Just as Kagome was about to inquire further, Sesshomaru began to speak again.

"We were waiting for Rasirel to appear. He had grown in strength. As we waited, we were suddenly attacked from behind. It was Inuyasha. Apparently, he had managed to procure a few shards of the jewel and was able to hide them with some type of dark magic. Within seconds, he had destroyed the monk and the demon slayer. I was about to attack, but Rasirel chose that moment to appear. I turned to him, but he saw what was happening and left us to deal with our own problems. When I turned back, Inuyasha had destroyed Naraku and mortally wounded Tyral and my father."

By this time, Kagome was looking down, tears glistening in her eyes. The news of her friends death and Inuyasha's betrayal really struck her hard. After a moment, Sesshomaru spoke again, and Kagome learned of her own fate.

"When I moved to destroy the half breed, he managed to evade me and went straight for you. I attempted to attack, but he used you as a shield. Then, he killed you, right there. He ripped out your throat. Apparently the jewel shards protected him from your purifying power. After that, I attacked him. I made him scream for mercy. By the end, he had gone insane from the pain. From his ramblings, I managed to deduce that he was jealous and angry at the way I, Tyral, and our father had shown up and took control. He felt betrayed by his friends so he took revenge the only way he knew how, by killing everyone. However, during the half breed's torture, I was taken unawares by Rasirels servants. I was nearly killed, and I was sealed away by them. It was a weak seal, and I managed to break it on my own, but it took one hundred years. After my escape, I learned that after everyone died, Rasirel continued to grow in power, until the gods stepped in and destroyed him once in for all." Sesshomaru fell silent after this story.

After a long period of silence, Inu spoke up. "Now that we know, we will change the past. Inuyasha will not live long enough to destroy us. When we return to the past, he will be destroyed." Kagome heart was stricken with sadness at these words, but she knew it had to happen. If it saved the lives of all of her friends, it was necessary.

Suddenly, Kagome's thoughts were interrupted by Sesshomaru's voice. "We will return tomorrow. We should attack Rasirel before he soldifies his power." Inu and Tyral both growled their agreement.

Kagome attention was suddenly pulled to the future version of Sesshomaru. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that she should follow him away from the others. She shot a hesitant glance at the regular Sesshomaru, but he remained absolutely still. Shrugging, she made her way through the trees after him.

After they were a suitable distance away from everyone else, Sesshomaru turned to Kagome and began to speak. "Regardless of the way my past self may act, he cares deeply for you. You have to be patient, and eventually he will admit it." Kagome nodded in understanding.

"Tonight, he killed Hojo. He was in a rage, brought on by a human touching what he has already started to see as his. He will always be that way, until one of you dies. In my past, you died far too soon. This time, as soon as Inuyasha is killed, I will cease to exist, and the future will be changed. Make sure to remain alive. I do not wish him to turn out as I have; alone." As soon as Kagome indicated her understanding, Sesshomaru started making his way back to the other demons, with Kagome following closely behind him.

As soon as they returned, future Sesshomaru bowed to his past self. "We will never meet again, but I hope that you will consider what I have told you." With that, the demon lord suddenly disappeared, slightly startling Kagome. After a moment of silence, Inu and Tyral both leapt into the air and started flying back towards Kagome's house.

An uncomfortable silence filled the clearing as Sesshomaru stared silently at Kagome. It was almost as if he was uncertain about him touching her after just killing one of her "friends". Without any hesitation, Kagome walked towards him and he quickly pulled her to him and leapt into the air.

At that moment, Kagome knew for certain that Sesshomaru did indeed have feelings for her. Sighing heavily, and cursing the gods for always trapping her in crazy relationships, Kagome settled back into Sesshomaru's chest and attempted not to think about the long talk her and Sesshomaru would need to have before they returned to the Feudal Era.

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	15. Return to the Past

**Liberate**

**Return to the Past**

They both remained completely silent as they flew through the air, following Inu and Tyral back to Kagome's house. By the time that they finally touched down in front of her house, Kagome was about to go crazy from the tension in the air.

Inu and Tyral both shot looks at the two before walking into the house, leaving her and Sesshomaru standing in the yard, alone. Kagome quickly turned to face the demon lord, who was staring down at her with his usual blank mask. After a moment, he spoke.

"I apologize for my outburst in the restaurant. It was not proper." She looked up at him in shock when he said this. Never in a million years had she expected the cold demon lord to apologize. However, she quickly shook her head.

"I don't care about that. I think there is a bigger issue we need to talk about." He remained completely stationary for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"You are right. What I said earlier, I apologize for that as well. I should not have said that. I do not lose control like that very often. It will not happen again." He fell silent and waited for her response.

"So, are you saying that you didn't mean what you said?" He remained silent, apparently thinking about how best to answer the question. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke.

"I will not deny that I find myself attracted to you. It is odd, seeing as you are human and I do not tend to fraternise with your species. However, I leave it up to you to choose what you want. If you wish for nothing to come of this, then I will not press the issue." This frank admission slightly surprised Kagome. After a moment, she responded hesitantly.

"I don't know. It would be weird. I mean, I was in love with your brother for a long time. Not to mention the fact that I am human. You are a demon lord. You would live on for a long time after I am dead and buried." She said the last part with a hint of sadness on her voice. His next words however, killed that worry quickly.

"Not necessarily. There are ways to extend your life to match my own." She looked up at him with hope in her eyes, but it quickly darkened again.

"Still, I don't know if we should start anything. I mean, we barely know each other. Excluding the last few days, everytime you've seen us, you've tried to kill me. And I've tried to shoot you with arrows before." Sesshomaru shrugged slightly.

"I've tried to kill a lot of people in my time. It wasn't personal. I hel no animosity towards you or any other in your group save for Inuyasha. The only reason I tried to kill you was because you stood between me and my goal." She nodded in understanding and spoke again.

"I understand. Listen, I don't know how this will work out, but I'm willing to give it a try. You have been nothing but helpful to me since you first saved me from the bear. You've saved my life a few times, you've brought me back from the dead, and you comforted me when nobody else could." She paused, waiting to see how he would react to her statement. She didn't have to wait long.

When she fell silent, he walked over to her until he was standing directly in front of her, staring straight down at her. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his inhumanly good looks that close to her. reaching out, he placed his clawed hand on her shoulder, and spoke.

"You are certain? It will not be an easy relationship. There are many demons who will see this is a sign of weakness on my part. They will attack us, thinking me weak for taking a human mate. Also, I happen to be quite sought after by the female demonic royalty. They will not take kindly to a human female taking what they all believe should be theirs." She responded immediately.

"I don't care. I know that you are more than strong enough to beat anyone who attacks us, and I am more than capable of taking care of some snotty demoness who wants to put her claws on my man." With that said, she brought her own hand up to her shoulder and placed it on top of his much larger hand.

Immediately, he pulled her close and leaned down, pressing his lips against her, gently. Although she was expecting it, it still surprised her slightly. After a moment, she leaned into the kiss, responding passionately.

After a moment, they both drew back. Kagome looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes, and was slightly surprised to see the passion that was very evident in them. She wasn't used to seeing any emotion other than anger on his face. Blushing lightly, she spoke.

"Well, now that everything is settled, we should probably go inside. We have to go back in the morning." When she said this, the happy expression on her face quickly faded away. She knew that when they went back, they would have to kill Inuyasha. It was definitely not something that she was looking forward to.

Sesshomaru quickly sensed her darkened mood and spoke. "Do not grieve for the half breed, Kagome. If we were to let him live, he would just end up doing exactly as he did the last time. Do you really wish for all of your friends and yourself to be killed, just so that he can live?" She shook her head in a sad way.

Patting her shoulder reassuringly, he spoke again. "Do not worry, Kagome. I will make sure that he dies a quick and painless death. He may be a half breed, and a traitor, but he is my brother. Royal blood flows in his veins and if nothing else, he deserves a proper death." She looked up at him and nodded, a few tears slipping from her eyes.

Together, the two made their way up to the front door of the house and want inside. They walked to the kitchen, where Inu, Tyral, and Miya were sitting at the table, talking in low voices, so as not to wake Souta and Kagome's grandfather.

They looked up when Sesshomaru and Kagome entered the room. Inu and Tyral both glanced with interest at Sesshomaru, but a single look from him told them that they would talk later. Both new arrivals seated themselves and joined the conversation. Tyral filled them in.

"We were discussing how best to deal with the Rasirel situation, among other things." From his tone of voice, Kagome deduced that the two demons had been reluctant to tell her mother that they were going to kill Inuyasha.

Nodding, Inu spoke. "The last time I fought him, we attacked him at once, from different directions. At the time, he was staying in the forest, surrounded by his army. We cut through them easily enough and all blasted him with our most powerful attacks at the same time. He was immobilized for a moment. We used that time to perform the sealing spell." He was interrupted by Kagome at that point.

"That doesn't sound so bad. I thought you said that your final battle with him was difficult. You said that you could barely walk for a week afterwords." He nodded.

"Indeed. It wasn't easy. Halfway through our spell, he freed himself and attacked us. I had to do my part of the spell last, so it was up to me to hold him off while the other's did their parts. I tried to match him with the Tetsusaiga, but it was nearly powerless against him. I used Sounga, but his skill was greater than mine and I couldn't even scratch him. Tenseiga was useless, seeing as he was living. I was forced to fight him hand to hand. I managed to remain alive, but it was a close thing. If I would have had to fight a few minutes longer, I probably wouldn't have lived." He sighed there, remembering the battle for survival.

"Luckily, the other demon lords completed their parts of the spell and took up the fight against him. I did my part and Rasirel was sealed away. We hoped it would be forever. Unfortunately, things changed. I didn't plan to be mortally wounded by Ryukotsei, and I didn't plan to die fighting a human in a burning castle, but that's what happened. The only thing that I am thankful for is that this time, we will be a much stronger force fighting Rasirel. If it were the same demons, I fear that it wouldn't be enough. It is also a blessing that he has not yet regained his full strength." He fell silent and looked around the table at his two sons and the two humans.

Sesshomaru quickly spoke. "Your plan was a good one, but it will not work again. If Rasirel is as good of a warrior as you say he is, he will not make the same mistakes twice. You can be sure that he will turn all of his former weak spots into the strongest points of defence." Inu nodded in agreement.

"I agree. This time, he will not stay with his army. If his past exploits are any indication of his actions, he will bring the fight to us this time. He will not stand around, waiting to be attacked. He is unlike many evil beings in the respect that he will not wait until his power is unbeatable to attack. Even with a fraction of his true power, he will engage the strongest enemies. It is that fact that often wins him battles that, at first glance, appear impossible to win. He takes his opponent by surprise and destroys them before they can hope to mount an effective defence. That is why we must be on our guard at all times when we return to the past." The two demon lords nodded in agreement. Tyral suddenly spoke.

"You know, it's too bad Rasirel went evil. His battle ethic is admirable. He is the kind of fighter that many aspire to be; powerful, fearless, and always prepared to fight." Both Inu and Sesshomaru nodded in agreement, before Inu spoke.

"Yes, it is too bad, but it is always the same. To much power will eventually go to your head. Rasirel really didn't have much options. He was immensely powerful and had everything he could have wanted, but he was alone. When you are on the level that he was, there is no one. There are plenty of people who wanted to be near him, but it was because of his power, not because of him. He turned to evil as a way to get away from it all. What better way to free yourself from the greedy people than to destroy everyone?" He shook his head sadly and sighed.

From the look on his face, Kagome figured that he must be thinking back to his own past. From all the tales she had heard of the mighty Dog General, she had begun to think of him as being quite like Rasirel, in that no one was on the same level as him. She wondered that if it weren't for the mortal wound he had sustained if he might have turned out the same way.

Deducing her thoughts from the expression on her face, Inu grinned and spoke. "No, Kagome, I would not have turned out like Rasirel. I had people around me, who were there for me, not merely for my power. I had Izayoi, and Tyral, and Myouga, Totosai, and the others. Even Sesshomaru was not there for my power." He looked at his son closely at that point, seeing what he would say.

Sesshomaru responded with a neutral expression. "I may not have been very close to you father, but I was not there for your power. We both know that even at a young age, my own power was more than sufficient." Inu grinned and nodded.

Suddenly, Miya yawned. She had remained so silent throughout the entire conversation that the other four had almost forgotten that she was there. With an apologetic smile, Inu spoke.

"I believe that it is time for you two to rest. We will be up early in the morning to depart for the past. Kagome, you will probably want to get a good night's rest, because I doubt tomorrow will be easy for you." With a nod, both humans got to their feet and made their way out of the kitchen.

As Kagome passed Sesshomaru, she felt his clawed hand reach out and pull her towards him. She was surprised when he kissed her passionately again, then released her and turned back to his brother and father. Still slightly surprised that he would initiate such a display, she shook her head slightly to clear it and continued up to her room to go to bed.

Meawhile, back in the kitchen, both Inu and Tyral were both grinning widely at Sesshomaru, who was staring back at them with a blank expression on his face. After a moment, he spoke. "We spoke and she decided to try entering a relationship with me." They both grinned even wider and nodded.

"You know, if someone had told me a century ago that my son Sesshomaru, the human hating ice prince would fall for a human female, I would have laughed so hard that I probably would have pissed myself. But now, I have to say, you'll make an interesting couple." He grinned widely and gave Tyral a chance to add his two cents.

However, before the dragon demon could say a word, Sesshomaru got to his feet. "I will not sit here to made fun of by you two. Especially you, father. You mated a human, and even created a child. I do not need to hear your foolish speculation and wonderings on my love life. It is up to me who I pursue. I will see you both in the morning." Turning, the demon lord walked out of the room and out the front door of the house.

As soon as he was gone, the two demons still at the table burst out laughing. Tyral was the first to speak. "Holy crap, he is certainly touchy about his love life, isn't he? You'd almost think it's the first time he's ever been in a serious relationship." At this, both demon lords fell silent.

Inu suddenly spoke. "You know, I've seen him with a lot of different women, but never the same one twice. Is it possible that he's never been in a real relationship before?" Tyral shrugged.

"I don't know and I'm not going to ask. Let's just let him and Kagome go at their own pace and see how everything turns out. I mean, we don't even know how long we're going to be alive." Inu nodded and the two fell silent, both turning their minds from Sesshomaru and Kagome to the upcoming battle with Rasirel.

Hours later, as the sun was rising, Kagome awoke and sat up in her bed. Stretching and yawning loudly, she stood and walked to the bathroom. After a quick shower, she dressed and walked downstairs.

Tyral and Inu were still sitting at the table, comparing battle styles. She immediately noticed that they had put on their regular clothing and donned their weapons. When they sensed Kagome, both got to their feet and Inu spoke. "Your mother just went outside. We should get going if we want to attack Rasirel soon." She nodded and the three exited the house.

They found Miya sweeping the walkway to the house. After embracing her mother and whispering some reassurances, Kagome and the two demons walked off, heading towards the well house. When they got their, they found Sesshomaru already inside, looking down into the well silently. He too had returned to his usual style of clothing.

When he sensed their arrival, he turned around. Inu spoke. "We are heading back. As soon as we get back, we will take care of Inuyasha. Be prepared to restrain the demon slayer. She will probably not react favourably to us slaying her mate." Sesshomaru nodded.

With that, Inu and Tyral leaped into the well and were consumed by a flash of blue light. Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome and spoke before she could follow them. "Are you prepared to face the half breed?" When she nodded confidently, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaped into the well, heading for the past and Inuyasha's date with his executioners.

* * *

I'm finally posting after two months. I hope to put a new chapter up every few days. I may be a little rusty, but I hope my new chapters won't be too crappy. Remember to review. 


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